11 February 2009

SIDS NZ and Safe T Sleep® Partnership Announced

SIDS New Zealand Incorporated and Safe T Sleep® International are pleased to announce their joint partnership, created with the aim to combine efforts to support parents and caregivers with education to help reduce the risk of SIDS and sleeping-related accidents for babies. In addition, the joint venture has been established to enhance peace of mind for parents and caregivers, using evidence-based material and professionally researched trialled and proven products.

The partnership was confirmed yesterday by Margaret Free, Chief Executive Officer of SIDS New Zealand Incorporated and Miriam Rutherford - van Gisbergen, Founder and Managing Director of Safe T Sleep® International. SIDS New Zealand Incorporated had contacted Safe T Sleep® International requesting a partnership proposal. Since the formalisation Margaret Free says “We look forward to a positive working relationship between SIDS New Zealand Incorporated and Safe T Sleep® International with each others’ values and philosophies to ensure an all round safer sleeping solution for babies.“

For many years SIDS New Zealand Incorporated and Safe T Sleep® International have been addressing many of the key issues surrounding the increase and risks of cot death and this partnership will tighten and improve the education and awareness surrounding SIDS.

SIDS [Sudden Infant Death Syndrome] is one of the leading causes of death among infants who are one month to one year old in New Zealand. SIDS is defined as the sudden death of an infant which remains unexplained after a thorough case investigation, including performance of a complete autopsy, examination of the death scene and review of the clinical history. SIDS is therefore a diagnosis of exclusion, affixed only once all known and possible causes of death have been ruled out.

SIDS New Zealand Incorporated was established in 1994 to provide services for families and communities who have been affected by SIDS, and is a national organisation of parents, families and friends of children who have died suddenly and/or unexpectedly of any cause including SIDS.

Miriam Rutherford - van Gisbergen, has supported a ‘service’ philosophy for over seventeen years, consulting and working with parents, health professionals, specialists and organisations to share information and educate regarding relevant research findings and child care concerns.

Margaret Free from SIDS New Zealand Incorporated says “We acknowledge the solid reputation you have built up for the Safe T Sleep® Sleepwrap® in New Zealand over the years as a reliable, quality product. We also recognise that you yourself have always acted with integrity, honesty and a lot of passion when dealing with people within the SIDS community and generally over the many years you have been working with the Safe T Sleep® Sleepwrap®. As an organisation we have never had any hesitation in recommending both your product and advice in terms of sleeping baby in a safer manner.”

Consistently since 1992 the Safe T Sleep® Sleepwrap® has reached up to 15% of all first time babies born each year in New Zealand alone. There have been no reported deaths, accidents or injuries in over 200,000 babies who have slept in the Safe T Sleep® Sleepwrap® and this does not include re-circulated products. Mother, positive parenting educator with nursing and counselling experience, Miriam is an established advocate and counsellor of baby/child sleep time safety and positive parenting skills who has worked with parents and health professionals for over twenty five years in both voluntary and paid capacities.

Miriam designed and developed the Safe T Sleep® Sleepwrap® to help prevent her own wriggly, adventurous baby from creeping and suffocating and later from standing, climbing or falling from his cot or bed. She wanted peace of mind for herself by ensuring safe, comfortable and settled sleep for him. Initial professional trials involving more than 300 babies and a broad range of health professionals, parents and caregivers resulted in overwhelmingly positive feedback and hospital staff and charge nurses involved in these trials identified 22 hospital uses for the Safe T Sleep® Sleepwrap® to aid patient positioning, comfort and care.

With Miriam’s consultative responsible approach she hopes to set a precedent for manufacturers of baby/child products to provide safety products which have been tested or researched in a professional manner. “The research should be professionally monitored and supervised and available for public information. Quality safety products will help decrease the childhood injury statistics and help reduce parental anxiety.”

“We all hope that by formalising this relationship between SIDS New Zealand Incorporated and Safe T Sleep we not only recognise your many years of hard work and that this gives you and your product the validation you have waited for, for so long, and that you so very much deserve.” says Margaret Free.

Miriam says, “A car seat is used for safe travelling; likewise a Safe T Sleep® Sleepwrap® should be used for safer sleeping. I feel concerned with the increasing number of untested, imitation products appearing on the market, babies’ lives are put at risk due to inferior materials, designs and lack of testing.”

ENDS