You are here: Home > Accidents
Accidents
27th April 2006Mrs M Rutherford
Safe T Sleep (NZ) Limited
PO Box 135
Takanini
Auckland
Dear Miriam,
The primary purpose of this letter is to acknowledge the numerous attributes of the Safe-T-Sleep product (including supporting literature) and secondly to detail the extent of babies falling from cots in New Zealand and subsequent claims to ACC.
The Safe-T Sleep product has been on the New Zealand market for 13 years and I am advised that the product consistently reaches up to 25% of first time babies born each year and may be used to prevent such accidents and provide peace of mind for parents.
Having received a demonstration of the product and reading associated literature it is evident that Safe-T-Sleep Sleepwrap is indeed a ‘wrap’ as opposed to a ‘restraint’. This product clearly allows the babies arms and legs to move freely and will not restrict normal growth development.
Furthermore, I am impressed with the extensive trialling that this product has undergone and that the results highlight that there may be advantages in using Safe-T-Sleep Sleepwrap. In particular, the number of hospital situations where professionals are applying this product is an indication of its effectiveness.
ACC also acknowledges the philosophy of Safe-T-Sleep that stresses the necessity that such products go hand in hand with responsible, nurturing parenting and supervision skills. This approach aligns to ACC’s Injury Prevention strategic focus of providing safer environments in conjunction with parent education.
Childhood falls are the leading cause of hospitalisation in children under the age of five and account for 40% of hospital admissions in the 0-4 year old age group (NZHIS,2004). In an attempt to reduce the incidence and severity of these injuries, ACC is committed to reducing childhood falls by investing in the national ‘Preventing Falls in Under Fives programme’. A particular objective of this programme is to provide parent education sessions, which highlights the developing child, the associated risk factors and effective ways to prevent children from falling and injuring themselves.
Most recent ACC claims data reveals that children (aged 0-4) falling from beds/cots remains reasonably stable in number and cost. See table below for information.
Number of Claims to ACC
Cost of claims
2004-7/2005-06
1,271
$125,429
During this period there was one reported fatality involving a child falling from a cot/bed. Whilst, the number of falls from cots and beds from children under give is significant, the cost of these injuries to ACC is reasonable minor. However, it is important to recognise that the ACC costs do not reflect the entire cost of these injuries to these children, their parents and society as a whole. In particular, the loss of earnings and productivity o9f the parent, the costs associated with acute hospital care and treatment are costs which a health economist would more accurately measure.
Whilst the Preventing Falls in Under Fives programme covers general information about children falling from beds/cots, ACC would be willing to discuss with you the possibility of incorporating relevant STS messages within ACCs educational programme.
I wish Safe-T-Sleep all the success in the future and applaud the efforts being made for the ‘greater good’.
Yours sincerely
Mark Vernon
ACC, Injury Prevention, Programme Manager
24/9/92
Dear Miriam,
Just a short note to say many thanks for your wonderful Safe T Sleep. My son, Jason, can no longer climb or fall out of his cot as he was previously and has been settling a lot faster
& happier than before. He loved his Safe T Sleep from the start and I can now put him to bed knowing that he is safe. I have recently transferred him to a single bed, which he loves, even though he is only 15 mths old as I know that he can’t fall out of bed & hurt himself. Jason used to roll & sleep on his tummy often as a baby and I wish that I had known about your excellent product then, as it would have saved me a lot of worry. I wish you all the very best for the future of Safe T Sleep as I believe it to be a necessity for the safety of babies & young children. Many thanks once again for the return of worry free nights and much needed extra sleep!
Regards
Jayne Whitford
2/6 Bayside Dr
Browns Bay
12-8-92
Dear Mariam
Finally I got myself organised to write you this letter. As you know I was not very “pro” S.T.S. just because I thought, children would not have enough freedom, however when you explained about the benefits and what kind of accidents have happened with children falling out of cots and beds, that could have been prevented, I thought mmm, maybe I should give it a try. Because Yaap is already two and doesn’t like restrictions (restraints), I did not know if it would work. But I gave it a try and approached it very positively. So what I did: I put the STS on his mattress for a week, before I did something with it, so that he got used by the sight of it. Then one afternoon before he got to bed, I showed him that his “bed” was going to sleep in the STS. After an hour when it was Yaap’s “turn” to go to sleep I did the same thing to Yaap. And I fastened the STS very loosely. He wanted it undone and I just quickly said It’s ok and straight away distracted him with the musical mobile. He fell asleep and when he woke up I found him still fastened in the STS without complaints. This went on for several days and then we started using it at night. Now he is asking for it!!!
I am really pleased about the whole idea and how we got him to get used to it.
I don’t have to worry about Yaap falling out of a single bed when he is ready to be transferred. The other benefit is travelling, sometimes in Motels the cots are already taken and he will be big for one now anyway (our cot is quite big). Going to friends etc just carry the STS, so easy.
Wonderful Mariam, well done. Good luck and hopefully you get more success stories.
Keep up the great work
Love Jose
15 Takanini Sch Rd
Takanini
23 September 1992
Dear Miriam
I am writing to thank you very much for introducing me to your wonderfully safe sleep wrap Safe T Sleep. Also thank you for letting me trial it with my 8 mth old (now 10 mths old) son Joshua.
I was instantly sold on Safe T Sleep as personal experience has made me very aware of bed safety. At the age of 2 I fell from a bed and broke my shoulder. As it was a clean break in a vulnerable place, at the age of 10 I broke it again in an outside fall. I am now in my 20’s and still suffer at times with pain if I am lifting my arm for a length of times ie blow drying my hair. So for me Safe T Sleep is the answer to Safe Sleeping and I no longer dread the thought of my child suffering at length from a bedroom fall. We now own 2 Safe T Sleeps. 1 for Joshua’s cot and 1 is our ‘Portacot’ which is used once a week when we go to visit Nana. The ‘Portacot’ was also used recently when I attended a Convention with Joshua. The only bed available was king sized. So I safely pinned the Safe T Sleep across the mattress. Because of the Safe T Sleep I knew Joshua couldn’t fall out of the bed and I knew I wouldn’t roll him because he was safe on his side of the bed. So thank you Miriam for allowing me to be an ‘at ease’ Mum at bedtimes
Angela Trewin
PS What a shame Safe T Sleep wasn’t available when my 4yr old son Garry was younger.
Download Fitting Instructions
Fitting Instructions are all in PDF format. 
PATENTED PRODUCT Design and all associated art, literary, marketing materials are subjected to COPYRIGHT.