the sarong cradle seems to be swinging itself out of fashion. it could be the result of horror stories associated with its use. you hear of babies receiving hard knocks after falling from the cradle; of the spring snapping and the baby ending up on the floor; you are told that vigorous rocking can cause injury to the baby's brain; and there have been reported cases in which babies got choked or strangled by the folds of the sarong.
the people who advocate its use will usually cite the following advantages: the rocking movements lull the baby to sleep faster than other method and sleeping in a sarong will give the baby a round head, which has not been scientifically proven.
before the advent of the motorised sarong cradle, the requirement and equipment for setting up a sarong cradle included the following: a strong beam in the house, a solid metal piece shaped like a clothes hanger with a hook at each end, a set of springs and a sarong.
the sarong cradle was usually suspended about 60cm from the ground/floor. sometimes a mattress was placed under it to cushion any accidental fall. usually the cloth at the end where the baby's head was would be held together by a safety pin. this was to prevent the head for slipping out and the baby falling head-first onto the ground/floor.
all my siblings and i slept in a sarong cradle when we were babies. when my elder girl was born, we tried to get her to sleep in one but it did not quite work out, so we abandoned the idea. needless to say, when my younger girl came along, she slept in a cot.
today, it is rare to see the sarong cradle that makes use of springs. those who use the sarong cradle today will go for the motorised type with a portable stand.
