Babies

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome – Charity wristband to fund research into cot deaths

FSID Wristband
Continuing the baby theme I’ve recently bought a wristband to support the research into cot deaths. I’m expecting my first baby in a few weeks and like all parents hope that it’s something I never have to face myself.

Infant deaths have really hit the media in the last few years. Coincidentally the wristband arrived yesterday on the same day that two convictions for “shaken baby” deaths were overturned.

Although more relevant are the cases the parents that were freed over the last two years including Angela Cannings who was the first to be freed in 2003.

To lose your baby must be awful, but I can’t even imagine the pain these parents, that were wrongly imprisoned, went through.

There is a UK charity called The Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths which:

  • funds research into the causes of sudden infant death (over £9 million to date)
  • supports families whose babies have died suddenly and unexpectedly
  • promotes information about cot death and safe infant care to the public and health professionals

There is a lot of information to download on the website including a Reduce the risk of cot death Guide produced jointly with the department of health that I’ve been given at Parent Craft classes. To help raise funds they are selling wristbands that are available from: Dan Durrant’s ebay page. Normally I’d suggest that you don’t buy wristbands from ebay as the funds don’t always go to the charity, but this is linked directly from the FSID website and is an official way of buying the wristband. Alternatively you can buy over the phone or post.

Note that the wristband is a distinct yellow and white colour (unfortunately the colours have been distorted on the photo on ebay).