What every
parent should know:
Is there an answer to
crib death?
Dr. Sprott, OBE, chemist, and
forensic scientist of New
Zealand says
yes! His research
and solutions have reduced that nation's crib death
rate dramatically and among the 100,000+ parents who
have taken his advice, there has not been one
reported crib death. And now I'm going to tell
you what I spent 9 months researching before I
started this website along with my best friend
Heidi.
How
did I find out about this? Well, after my
first son was born in 2001, I was looking online for
information about decorating my baby nursery when I
stumbled across some startling facts about SIDS
(sudden infant death syndrome).
Me
and baby #1
But first a little background
info:
When I was a child, I had always
heard the stories in my family about my great aunt
who lost her only daughter to SIDS. She was a
twin and her brother survived. I was always so
worried about SIDS that every and any information
that I could find on the subject I would read in
hopes of finding an answer. I was terrified.
But I could never get a straight answer. Ever
feel that way?
There is a lot of
information about crib death out there. So
what's a parent to think? One
website
states that SIDS can happen anytime, to any baby,
and there's nothing a parent can do. Nothing
at all. So basically a parent can do
everything right and still lose a baby to SIDS.
Another
website
tells us that 30 years of research still
gives us no answer to SIDS In our modern day I just could not accept that
this was true. And yet that's what North
American research is telling us.
But
is it true?
Then I stumbled upon Dr. TJ Sprott and his
non-profit website [www.cotlife2000.com] and found
out that for years, New Zealand has been on the
cutting edge of crib death research and their SIDS rate
was dropping; dramatically!
Baby #2
I'm
a microbiology graduate (BSc) from the
University of Tulsa, Ok and I also did almost 2
years of graduate work at the University of
Toronto as a microbiologist until I started my
family. So research is my thing, and I
immediately poured over the information in his
site, then searched the web to find out
everything I could about it. Still not
satisfied, I emailed him with question after
question. The answer was so simple yet it
has eluded thousands of researchers.
When I
found out what Dr. Sprott knew, I whisked my baby
out of his crib and slept with him on the floor for
4 days while I waited for the "answer" in the mail!
What has Dr.
Sprott discovered?
First let me say that his research, has had a 100%
success rate! That is statistically impossible
unless his research is valid. Not one single reported crib
death in well over hundreds of thousands of homes following his
advice for almost 9 years.
The
answer is in the crib itself.
Antimony,
arsenic, and phosphorus were first introduced
into crib mattresses in the early 1950s, and for
example, the British crib death rate increased
steadily from that time onwards. (In fact the term
"cot death" was coined in 1954 as a result of the
marked increase in the number of such deaths.)
Did I say
arsenic? I sure did! And
I'm as shocked as you are. These chemicals are
used as a fire retardant in mattresses. It is
required by law. In fact, in its gaseous form,
phosphorus is deadly and just as worrisome. So
what do these chemicals have to do with crib death?
Well, if
mold gets into a mattress, and ofcourse it does more
often than not(see
our
analysis page about
mold in mattresses). Mold then eats
these chemicals and releases them in gaseous form.
Actually, when the particular mold called
Scopulariopsis brevicaulis
finds its way into a crib mattress
or synthetic bedding that may
contain the three offending chemicals, it feeds on
these chemicals and releases them as a toxic nerve gas.
Once a baby sleeps on the mattress, the mold grows
exponentially and releases the toxic gas (activated
by body heat). If a baby has a fever, and the
mold is present, then growth of the mold is greatly
increased and hence the release of toxic gas
increases.
The gas disintegrates quickly, but if it is inhaled
while it is still potent, it acts as a nerve gas and
stops heart function resulting in death. It's
that simple. This research is
affectionately called the "toxic gas theory".
And German scientists
agree.
As
a microbiologist, I knew that molds were very common
in households and that the way they breathe is by
eating a chemical and releasing it in an altered
gaseous form (in a nutshell!). So I knew
immediately that he was on to something. I
literally panicked. My scientific background
helped me to understand clearly what others might
not. So I bought
Dr. Sprott's book
and poured through it only to find out an amazing
story!
What's the solution?
A barrier
between the baby and the mattress. Dr. Sprott
has developed a mattress cover made of a very
specialized plastic that prevents this gas from
escaping. So I immediately ordered it and
wrapped my baby's mattress, followed the
instructions for
safe bedding
as specified in the cotlife 2000 campaign, and sighed with
intense relief.
Why does
the mattress cover work? Dr. Sprott is a
chemist and a plastics specialist. This
plastic is called polythene, and
MUST be 125 microns thick to prevent gas from
escaping. It fits the mattress tightly and has airholes beneath the mattress to allow airflow and
prevent moisture buildup that the growth of mold
would cause.
There is
no other mattress cover like it in the world.
BabeSafe is the only cover that is scientifically
designed to protect the crib from toxic gases
contained within the mattress. What are you
waiting for...tell everyone...and wrap your baby's
mattress today.
(Oct 2007 update: Patricia is no longer
working with babysake.com since she is very
busy with her three children and expecting
her 4th in 2008, however she still travels
everywhere with a BabeSafe cover for her
babies to sleep on)
Want more information?
See our "campaign"
against Crib Death/SIDS Prevention.
Do most
mattresses and bedding contain mold?
Yes - See what Dr.
Sprott's research shows.
click here.
How can you prevent toxic gas generation?
1. Measure your mattress, L, W, and H.
Wrap your mattress with the correct
size
BabeSafe mattress cover.
2. Follow wrapping instructions provided with
cover or online at
www.babysake.com/Howtowrap.htm.
2. Use only
bedding
recommended by Dr. Sprott to ensure no offending
chemicals are placed over the cover (which would
negate its effectiveness!)
3. Finally, get some sleep.
<CLICK HERE FOR MORE
INFORMATION
ABOUT CRIB DEATH AND PREVENTION>
