There's a growing trend in North America to place a baby into a cardboard box, but if you're a parent who wants to give it a try, be careful about the product you use.
The Baby Box Co. has been selling their product in Canada since last summer, and has grown in popularity south of the border as well.
The idea is to put your baby to sleep in a box that has no suffocation hazards, in order to try to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome.
Their product has passed Health Canada's stringent regulations on cribs, cradles and bassinetts. It has a firm mattress within, proper ventilation and has been tested for 52 lbs.
Parents should be careful, though, not to put their child into any cardboard box.
There is another company that sounds similar, Baby Box Canada, that produces a box that is meant only as a container to send hygiene and other baby products to new parents. The company says on its website that it should not be used for sleeping.
Proper sleeping environments
It's unclear what causes SIDS, but parents are advised to put their infants to sleep in a safe environment to reduce the risk.
Babies are to be placed on their back on a firm mattress within a crib or a bassinett that is "completely empty," according to Health Canada, except for a mattress and fitted bedding. The crib should be decluttered of any suffocation hazards like toys, comforters, or loose bedding.
"Some parents will choose to use their own bed or couch, or some other unsafe space... and a (baby) box is going to be safer than that," says pediatrician Dr. Dina Kulik.
Dr Kulik says to her the cardboard box movement is more about educating parents what to do, and what not to do.
"Essentially what you're looking for is a safe space," she says.