COTS CAN BE FATAL

And old fashioned baby cot with bars which are now considered a strangulation hazard. Drawing by Pearson Scott Foresman.

GEOFF VIVIAN

New Australian Standards for baby cots are designed to prevent sudden infant death.

Consumer Protection Pilbara representative Gwynneth Haywood warns parents to be wary of putting a newborn baby into a second hand cot.

“Parents should be really careful when they’re looking at cots, especially second hand ones,” she said. “If they buy them or they are given a second hand cot, they don’t realise they may not be meeting current safety standards. And there are of course mandatory standards for cots that help prevent accidents and fatalities.”

Ms Haywood said the Consumer Protection WA website had advice about safe sleeping environments and equipment for babies, including how to check a second-hand cot .