Newborn's death sparks sling warning

The death of a newborn who was being carried in a baby sling has caused experts to warn the carriers could cause suffocation.

The two-day-old South Australia boy was in a cloth sling under his mother's clothing when she noticed he had stopped breathing and felt cold.

An autopsy was inconclusive but did state the sling was a risk factor in the boy's death, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Two well-regarded doctors have since written to the Medical Journal of Australia saying some baby slings could lead to suffocation, particularly as there are no international manufacturing standards.

Roger Byard, a professor of pathology at the University of Adelaide, and John Gilbert, a senior specialist forensic pathologist at Forensic Science SA, warned babies could be at risk of suffocation if they were positioned with their chin to their chest or if they mouth and nose were covered.

They suggested parents constantly keep an eye on their babies when using slings to make sure their head is facing outwards and that nothing was covering their face.