Sarah had put her son Felix to bed for the evening. Suddenly in the middle of the night she hears him crying a lot, and in a slightly unusual way. – There was something about the crying that made me go and check. Then I saw that he was stuck in the very opening of the duvet cover, says Sarah Ness. Two-year-old Felix had probably been looking for his teddy bear at night, and had ended up inside the duvet cover. From there he couldn’t get out again so that his head and body were stuck inside the cover itself. – We got him out. I felt fear and panic, says Sarah. She is certain that her son could have suffocated and that the outcome could have been different if she had not reacted to the crying and gone to check on him. – If I had only thought it was a nightmare, I wouldn’t have checked, and then he would have calmed down for a completely different reason than what was actually the case, says Sarah. Felix thought this bed cover was nice and had it on his duvet. Now he is afraid of it. Photo: Bent Lindsetmo / news Small opening at the end of the cover The duvet cover was bought in the animal park in Kristiansand and has the motif of Hakkebakkeskogen. At the bottom of the cover there is an opening, and that’s where Felix got stuck. Sarah wants to warn other parents. – I want to tell the story to other parents of young children so that they can make more informed choices when buying bedding for their children. I wouldn’t wish any parent to experience what we experienced, says Sarah. She believes that it would have been completely different if the opening on the duvet cover had gone all the way, or if it had had buttons or a zip to protect the opening. She also questions the fact that it is allowed to sell this type of duvet cover at all. – I thought that products you buy for children in Norway are safe and that you can trust them. I don’t think this move is appropriate for such young children. This story shows that guidelines should be changed. And that this duvet cover should be taken off the market, says Ness. Sorry for the incident. The duvet cover in question is produced by Norvigroup Norway. They say that the duvet cover is very popular, and that it is the first time they have received a complaint about the product. – This was an incredibly sad incident. We are very grateful that it went well. As for the Hakkebakkeskogen bedding set, this is still on sale and we are still producing it. It is made with a completely traditional/standard construction with a bottom opening in the duvet cover, says Design & Development Manager, Trine Lie. Norvigroup also points out that they comply with the EU regulations EU-16779-2 which deal with duvet covers for children. – We comply with the regulations that are applicable at any time for producing bed linen, like all other Norwegian manufacturers. There are now strict rules relating to, for example, the use of buttons in children’s bedding due to the risk that these may come loose. The regulations say nothing about how duvet covers should or shouldn’t be opened, says Lie. Not a good enough explanation Ness believes this does not hold, and believes that considerations of finances or other matters must not override safety. – If there is only a one percent probability of this happening, then one percent is too much. You must be sure that products you buy for children are safe and sound, says Ness. Kristiansand Dyrepark sells the duvet cover which they say is a very popular product. Photo: Vetle Hjortland / news – Today we use more and more zips on our bed sets, but this is due to trends and choice of packaging, not due to changes in regulations, says Lie. Says “dyne dangerous” The incident with Felix happened on 13 August. Afterwards, he was afraid to go to bed. When the parents got Felix out of the duvet cover the night he got stuck, he was very shaken and cried a lot. Now the family has spent a lot of time keeping him safe in bed, and helping him find peace again. – Felix expresses that he remembers the incident. He says “dyne dangerous, dyne dangerous”. The move gives him a bad association, says Ness. She thinks it hurts to think that if they had only thought that the crying was because their son had a nightmare, and that they had interpreted the silence afterwards as that he had fallen asleep again, then they could be without Felix now. Understands that it was uncomfortable Marketing and communications director at Kristiansand Animal Park, Anniken Bjørnstad Schjøtt, says the duvet cover is a very popular product sold in the park. They have not heard of this story, but can understand the discomfort. – We do not know the case well enough, but based on what you describe, we understand that it has been an unpleasant situation for mother and child. Nevertheless, they see no problem with continuing to sell the product. – We adhere to the current standards that have been set for the production of bed sets and work with manufacturers who have professional expertise in this.
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Sarah Ness from Trondheim bought a duvet cover in Kristiansand zoo – her son got stuck – news Trøndelag
