These toxic gases are produced in baby's crib due to the interaction of common household fungus (having taken residence in the mattress) and the mattress' lovely flame retardant ingredients: antimony, arsenic, and phosphorus.
Studies have shown that SIDS is much more common with previously-used crib mattresses. Babies born to single mothers have been found to have the highest rate of SIDS, Dr.Sprott states, due to accompanying economic issues that often require baby sleeping on a *very* used crib mattress. Dr. Sprott has also found that each subsequent baby in any family (two parent or single mother) has a greater chance of SIDS due to the mattress being used for a prior baby or babies.
So what can we do to prevent SIDS? Dr. Sprott makes a mattress cover called BabeSafe. The BabeSafe mattress cover prevents SIDS-causing toxic nerve gas poisoning by enclosing the mattress in a gas-impermeable cover. Additionally, the BabeSafe mattress cover is not capable of generating toxic nerve gas.
Dr. Sprott instructs to place and securely tuck a pure cotton flat blanket on top of the BabeSafe-covered mattress. This blanket is then covered with a pure cotton fitted sheet followed by a pure cotton flat sheet. A pure wool or pure cotton flat blanket is placed on top of the pure cotton flat sheet. Baby will sleep between the pure cotton fitted sheet and the pure cotton flat sheet.
The Pure Baby (PB) has never slept in a crib, but we do have BabeSafe mattress covers for both our crib and our Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper. Since PB is a co-sleeper (in our bed), we also have our king-sized bed covered with a BabeSafe alternative (since BabeSafe is only available for baby-sized beds).
Our oldest son was our only crib-sleeping baby, and we thankfully never experienced any SIDS-type issues. (But I did always worry!) He was, though, the first baby to use his new crib mattress - and according to Dr. Sprott, that put him in the lowest risk category.
Even so, our oldest son's testing at age four found him to have both high antimony and high arsenic. That testing was done by our Defeat Autism Now! (DAN!) doctor, in an effort to help our son heal from his autism spectrum disorder. Our DAN! doctor instructed that we cover our son's mattress as well as eliminate all flame-retardant sleepwear (also containing antimony and arsenic). After a few months of having a covered mattress and wearing only 100% cotton/non-flame-retardant sleepwear, both his antimony and arsenic levels diminished greatly.
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you can also use the new Best Day Ever crib mattress cover. Made out of the same material as the Babesafe product. The Serendipity mattress cover is just $16.95 and BDE will donate 1 cover for every cover sold to a daycare center. In 1999 of the 13 SIDS deaths in San Diego, 7 were in day care centers.
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