Parents have been warned about the dangers of nappy sacks after 16 babies have died from suffocation since 2001 in the UK.
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) in the UK has revealed that at least 16 babies have died since 2001 after suffocating on these plastic bags used for nappy disposal, with 14 deaths happening in the last nine years.
The RoSPA said that most parents often leave flimsy nappy sacks within children’s reach without thinking about the devastating consequences this may have. It warns that babies are attracted to the scent of nappy sacks, putting them in danger.
Mum, Beth Amison, 23, fully supports the RoSPA’s campaign following the death of her seven-month-old son Maison in 2013. She says that her son was found lying in his cot with a handful of nappy sacks scattered around him with one on his face.
‘Our changing stand had been placed next to the cot, as many people’s are, and in the pockets of the stand, I had placed nappy sacks months and months before.
‘That day he must have learned to stand for the first time as that’s the only way he could have reached the changing stand.’
Now, the RoSPA is calling for improved labelling of the risk on nappy sack packaging. Sheila Merrill, public health adviser for RoSPA, said that there is a need for more awareness among parents about the choking hazard.
“We want to maximise public awareness of this serious risk to young lives and develop a code of practice for the manufacturing and labelling of nappy sacks.
“We want manufacturers to consider safety approaches such as making them unscented, producing them on a roll rather than as individual sheets or new packaging,” she said.
Source: Dailymail.co.uk and The Sun
