Sudden deaths in adult-worn baby carriers: 19 cases.

UNLABELLED: Soft infant carriers such as slings have become extremely popular in the west and are usually considered safe. We report 19 cases of sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI) linked to infant carrier. Most patients were healthy full-term babies less than 3 months of age, and suffocation was the most frequent cause of death.

CONCLUSION

Infant carriers represent an underestimated cause of death by suffocation in neonates.

WHAT IS KNOWN: • Sudden unexpected deaths in infancy linked to infant carrier have been only sparsely reported.

WHAT IS NEW: • We report a series of 19 cases strongly suggesting age of less than 3 months as a risk factor and suffocation as the mechanism of death.