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Plunket warns against wrapping sleeping babies in polar fleece

May 28, 2018
Cute Baby Girl sleeping in the Crib. At home

Parents are being warned by Plunket to not wrap sleeping babies in polar fleece this winter.

Kerry Hamilton, Plunket's Nelson, Marlborough and West Coast service manager, told the Marlborough Express that synthetic materials increased the risk of a baby overheating.

Natural fabrics like wool and cotton were best as they allow babies to regulate their temperature and prevent overheating, Hamilton said.

There was no issue with babies of small children wearing polar fleece outside but not when they were in bed, Plunket Nelson and Marlborough clinical leader Alison Martin said.

"Polar fleeces will heat a baby really well but then they can't cool off," she said.

With the cost of natural products often an issue for low income families, Blenheim Plunket were selling merino blankets at cheaper prices.

"Quite often the quality materials are dear. We see a lot of polar fleece products around. Sometimes the issue is knowledge but quite often it is affordability," she said.

Funds raised from the merino blankets sale were being invested back into services in the Marlborough region, Hamilton said.

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