‘If it had slipped down further, it could have suffocated her’

In the viral video, the first-time mum explains how she discovered the “real danger” of a common baby accessory.

Katie Jones dresses her daughter like a lot of mums dress their little girls: cute onesies, little cardigans and headbands.

But the first-time mum, who posts as @KatieandAriam on TikTok learned a scary lesson recently that made her swear off headbands forever.

“One time we were driving back from somewhere and my little girl’s headband had moved from the top of her head to covering her eyes,” she explained in a TikTok.

“Luckily I caught this straight away because I have a mirror, but I was the only person in the car so you can imagine the panic that I went through.”

Katie said that while the headband covering her little one’s eyes probably wasn’t an issue, if the headband had slipped down further, her daughter may have been suffocated.

“As your little one shifts and moves about, especially when they’re sleeping, whether that’s anywhere in the house or in a car seat, the elastic can become a real danger to them,” she said.

“If that headband had creeped down just a little bit more, that could have blocked her breathing.”

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The mum explained why she never puts headbands on her baby. Photo: TikTok

Mum warns against baby headbands

Suffocation risk isn’t the only reason Katie now avoids headbands.

Tightness is also an issue.

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“If you think about it, as adults, when we wear headbands, they can give us a bit of a headache after some time if they’re too tight.

“They’re uncomfortable and babies can’t tell us all of this.”

She said that as young babies grow quickly, their head size can double in a short period of time.

“It’s not something you want to be putting on the baby when their head is growing.

“When I did my research afterwards, I found it’s really damaging while their head is still growing. It doubles in size in just the first six months.”

For anyone who was really stuck on putting headbands on their kids, Katie suggested moderation.

“As a general rule of thumb, maybe put the headbands on for photos or for a short period time, but take it off after a while.”

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She explained how the headband had fallen over her daughter's eyes when she was riding in the car. Photo: TikTok

TikTok video on baby headbands goes viral

Mums flooded the comments, sharing their stories of headbands. Many avoided the accessory.

“They are such a waste of money,” said one mum. “I literally put them on for a photo and then take them off. They don’t seem comfy in them.”

“They also change the shape of the baby’s head when used consistently,” said another.

“I learned recently that their skulls aren’t fully formed together that wearing headbands can cause damage,” agreed one mum.

Some women shared horror stories of close calls.

“I used to love headbands until I looked in my daughter’s Moses basket and it was around her throat!” said one mum.

But not everyone thought that headbands were dangerous.

“And then there’s me who dressed my baby girl in massive bow headbands and mini handbags,” said one mum. “She’s now six and still very much alive.”

Originally published as ‘If it had slipped down further, it could have suffocated her’