Headbands and babies – what is safe?

We posted a warning about headbands on babies last year, including a scary situation CPR Kids founder Sarah Hunstead, witnessed last year (you can hear about this here).

We wanted to bring this up again, as we know many people will be seeing family and friends over the next few weeks, and with that often comes the enjoyment of dressing your little one up!

Now, we don’t bring this up to start the debate of whether or not parents should put headbands on bubs – this is a personal decision and something people enjoy doing – we just want to ensure people do it safely.

The overall ‘rule’ we suggest when it comes to headbands (and any sort of hair accessories on baby such as clips and easily removed elastics) – they are fine for a photo or while being held by someone, but please don’t leave a headband on a baby if they aren’t close, awake and in direct active supervision.

Especially be mindful of what they are wearing in the pram, car seat, or when napping, as you can’t view them easily. We have had mums reach out after experiencing a scare such as their little one with their bow over their face in the car seat or chewing on hair clips in the cot (examples below).