slings and safety

[riversong]

I posted this same story on the babywearing forum many months ago, but since we're discussing slings a lot here, I thought I'd bring it up.

First let me say that I am very pro-babywearing and wore our dd in a sling (and then the Ergo) for almost 2 years.

We have friends whose baby died of SIDS while being worn in a sling. It was a fleece sling and the mom had it on backwards. She was borrowing it and didn't know how it was suppposed to be worn. The baby was tightly squeezed inside and the fleece fabric was over, but not touching, her face. The last I heard, the mom felt that she may have died because of rebreathing her own CO2 for too long. She didn't suffocate-just died peacefully in her sleep.

It makes me worry a bit about fleece fabric being too heavy. I also spent a lot of time holding the sling away from dd's face while she was little. What do you all think? Any recommendations for safe babywearing?

[Mrs_Hos]

This sounds odd...I can't imagine a baby dying in a sling. For one, I feel I am 'ultra perceptive' when my baby is attached to me...something I don't feel as much when the baby is in the car seat, bassinet, crib, etc.
SIDS is a troublesome disease...were there any other 'indicators' that may have been in play? A family member in the home that smokes? Formula vs breastfed? A sick baby?
I'm very sorry for your friend's loss...but I can't imagine that a baby who isn't getting enough air wouldn't squirm a bit or try to get air unless the baby was sick in the first place. If a person wrapped a baby up in a sling and covered their head, mouth and nose, the baby would struggle for air would'nt he/she?
I'm afraid the sling has been accused, but that there were other factors at play.

I hope this doesn't sound too harsh...I'm just perplexed...