You may have noticed that we don't sell padded nests or baby pods at The Sleep Store, even though they are super popular. They seem to be in every baby store, all over Instagram and new parents consider them almost a must-have item. We have had major safety concerns about this category of products and chose not to stock them until our safety concerns were addressed by a safety standard or we found a product that was clearly designed with safety rather than looking gorgeous in mind.
Sleep Tight Baby Bed Review
Why don't we sell padded nests or pods?
Finding a safe version of a nest
On a trip to the world's largest, most prestigious baby products trade fair, finding a safe version of a nest was one of my top priorities. I spoke with dozens of suppliers from around the world over four days, nests and pods are now in so many brands ranges. In almost every case, the conversations were such a disappointment to me. Yes I can see your prints are gorgeous, yes I can imagine they are selling very well, yes I'm sure babies feel very cosy and cushioned sleeping in what is basically a soft padded cushion. However the answers to my questions about safety were when it was really disappointing. Yes, great to hear you've tested the flammability of the nest, but why is it still so squishy? Is there a relevant safety standard in your country for this category of products? Have you tested if the sides are breathable?
Conversation after conversation was totally lacking in answering my safety concerns until I met the team at Purflo, one of the world's leading sleep products brands and one with a real focus on safety. They had been selling a nest and it was super popular, but they knew they needed to improve the safety of this product. They knew that retailers like us would never stock their soft squishy nest in a million years, despite customers and babies loving them.
And rather than wait for the EU or UK to finally develop a safety standard for this category, Purflo went back to the drawing board to totally re-imagine the next type of product into something where they START with safety, rather than try to justify later that yes, the product is safe. And this was my first introduction to the Sleep Tight Baby Bed and the start of our relationship with Purflo. As someone who has a huge interest in safe sleep, safety standards and finding the safe options for our customers, it was a pleasure to meet the team from Purflo who share my interest in these areas.
My introduction to The Sleep Tight Baby Bed
On first glance, yes the Sleep Tight Baby Bed does look like a nest. It's a similar shape, oval with raised sides. It's also designed for the first few months until baby can sit up and yes babies do look adorable in this little bed. But this is where the similarities between the Sleep Tight Baby Bed and nests or pods finish. Purflo have used 20 years of experience in breathable technology to create a total game changer - the very first baby bed of it’s kind to be safe for independent, overnight sleep.
What makes the Sleep Tight Baby Bed safe?
The bed features a fully breathable mesh base and sides which allow air to safely circulate, so baby can breathe easily and stay at a safe temperature all night. The raised sides have just a little bit of squidge - they are firm enough to prevent a little face pushing into them, but cosy enough to give baby sensory feedback and a feeling of being held, helping them to sleep for longer. The super safe sides are made using a sustainably sourced fibre, Dupont™ Sorona® that is made from 37% plant based ingredients and is Oeko-Tex® 100 Class 1 Certified. Purflo found a glue that is non-toxic, safe for babies and the environment and that withstands daily use, is totally safe and awesome for the environment. If you take off the covers of your Sleep Tight Baby Bed you might see a little of this glue in the inner construction - as it doesn't contain bleach and harmful chemicals it is a natural sand colour.
With safer sleep guidelines in mind, the Sleep Tight Baby Bed has been designed with a firm, flat mattress suitable from birth. It’s also fully washable, portable, and comes with a handy travel bag so that you can support your baby’s sleep routine wherever you go! “It’s a game changer!” - The Independent, 2021
Purflo have designed this product as a BED for little babies, as that is what they know parents use them for. Their research and any brief look into the world of babies of instagram will show that babies fall asleep in nests and that these sleeps are not always 'supervised'. Babies sleep in these type of products overnight, while parents are out of the room, while they are busy with other siblings, while baby is not actively supervised. The biggest risk for all this is of course overnight sleep, that despite whatever intention parents may have, they cannot actively supervise their baby's sleep while they are asleep themselves.
The Sleep Tight Baby Bed was designed as a safe place for babies to sleep overnight and during naps, and has undergone extensive product safety testing with this in mind. As with any new Purflo baby product, advice was sought from two independent UKAS accredited test houses to determine the most appropriate testing. As with all new to market innovations there is no one safety standard which fits the Sleep Tight Bed, so it has been tested to relevant aspects of existing safety standards for similar sleep products. No country has a safety standard for nests or pods, so it's not a simple question of applying the standard from a different country. So the recommendations were to look at what makes already certified bassinets and moses basket type products safe for overnight sleep? What is it about a moses basket that is so different to a padded nest, that makes one safe for overnight sleep and meets the Carry Cot safety standard, and what makes a padded nest only safe for lounging or supervised sleep. The Sleep Tight Baby Bed has passed the following tests:
- BS4578:1970 – Airflow safety test – PASS due to the clever foam inside the side walls
- BS5852 – Flammability and chemical test – PASS due to the materials used which have naturally low flammability and are safe for sensitive baby skin.
- BSEN 1466 – Tested to relevant parts of the carrycot standard that enable its safe use overnight including:
- Rigidity of side walls – PASS due to structured side walls preventing suffocation hazard and overheating
- Retention of side walls/ roll test – PASS conclusive that infant will remain safely inside the product and could not roll out
Note: There are aspects of the carrycot standard, such as handles, which are not relevant to this product, so have not been tested.
The product has undergone a comprehensive risk assessment and extensive, exhaustive safety testing relevant to marketing it as suitable for overnight use. There are no other existing safety tests relevant to a product of this type that we can put it through, or we already would have!
What do we consider safe for newborn sleep?
Beds that achieve all the safe sleep guidelines are safest for newborns. So this means choosing beds that meet the following:
- Have a firm sleeping surface
- Babies have their own sleep space
- The mattress is well fitting with no gaps
- There are no padded or cushioned items, so no duvets, quilts, bumpers or pillows near baby.
- If baby’s face is up against the side of the bed, it does not pose a suffocation risk. So this generally means a firm, breathable surface, such as cot slats, the cotton or mesh side of a bassinet or the firm surface of a moses basket, wahakura or pepi-pod.
How do nests compare?
In comparison, here's a photo of a typical nest. This is taken from Alibaba, where there are dozens of suppliers making these type of padded nests for overseas brands. There are also many of this type of nest made in New Zealand.
These types of nests have:
- Soft squishy sides that pose a suffocation risk if a baby's nose was up against them, as the fabric and padding would compress around the nose.
- In many the base is soft with nothing to keep it's shape
- The nest can tip over, as there is no structure which has been designed to prevent tipping or rolling over.
- In many nests, the area where baby lies is very small and their head is therefore close to the sides or surrounded by the sides. This has led to concerns that nests may also be an overheating risk, particularly as babies are often shown sleeping in a nest while wearing a hat or other head covering.
- The base of these nests often opens, may have cord or ties or buckles, none of which are tested as safe for use with babies and may pose a strangulation or choking risk.
- These is a gap between the sides and the base, where the shaping of the sides curves under. This poses a suffocation risk as baby's face could become wedged in this space or face surrounded by the padding.
The Squish Test Comparison
Watch Lou compare how squishy a baby nest as to the Purflo Sleep Tight Baby Bed. The Sleep Tight Baby Bed has been tested for breathability and is safe for overnight sleeps from newborn.
Comparing the Purflo Sleep Tight Baby Bed vs Nest Bed
Baby nests have becoming increasingly popular over the last few years, however at The Sleep Store we have had major safety concerns about this category of products. We chose not to stock them until our safety concerns were addressed by a safety standard or we found a product that was clearly designed with safety in mind, rather than looking gorgeous. And now we have, The Purflo Sleep Tight Baby Bed, which is certified safe for overnight sleeps. At first, the Sleep Tight Baby Bed looks like a nest, however it's very different. Watch as Lou, Director of The Sleep Store, demonstrates how soft and squishy nests are compared to how firm The Sleep Tight Baby Bed is. Nests can be a suffocation hazard for babies, however The Sleep Tight Baby Bed has been designed with a firm, flat mattress, suitable from birth and it has been tested for breathability. Read more about our safety concerns re nests and the safety tests that the Purflo Sleep Tight Baby Bed has passed:
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202316-08
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The Sleep Store
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But don’t nests meet all the safety standards?
Remember are NO specific safety standards in New Zealand or anywhere else than apply to baby nests. So we recommend you ask for specifics about claims that nests are ‘certified’ or that they meet particular safety standards, as some of the claims are misleading at best and outright lies at worst. For example, one brand in NZ claims their nests meet safety standard AS/ NZS ISO 8124/Pt.1/2002 but this standard has nothing to do with beds. It is a toy safety standard! The part that deals with small parts and mechanical pieces that could otherwise be a choking hazard.
Another brand references standard NZ 8811.1:2013, the voluntary standard that covers the firmness of sleep surfaces. While firm sleep surfaces are important for safe sleep, this is completely outweighed by the suffocation risk of very soft padded sides next to your baby's face.
So to conclude.....
We are really thrilled to have have partnered with Purflo to bring the Sleep Tight Baby Bed to New Zealand. We have long wanted to find a safer alternative to the nests and pods which have flooded the market with little care of interest in the safety of babies. While we would still always tell you a moses basket or bassinet that fully meets an international standard is your SAFEST bed for your newborn, we think the focus on safety and testing makes the Sleep Tight Baby Bed a safe and adorable option for your baby. It easily addresses all the safety questions we have about nests and pods.