Dr Vallmuur stressed baby slings were safe when fitted properly with the infant positioned correctly. ''Babies need to be upright, their face and nose need to be uncovered at all times and we need to be able to see their face,'' she said.

''When they are curled up with their chin on their chest pressed against the mother or the material, their airways are slowly compressed and they suffocate,'' she said.

Kirsten Vallmuur, from the Queensland University of Technology's centre for accident research and road safety - Queensland, said suffocation was the biggest risk posed by baby slings.

Police and ambulance services attempted CPR on the baby but she later died in hospital. Deputy State Coroner John Lock found the sling, a slight cold, and the way Baby T was lying against her mother's body, all contributed to the baby's suffocation.

In developing the safety awareness campaign for baby slings, QUT surveyed 800 parents around Australia who were expecting or had babies under one. It found 95 per cent of parents intended to use, or were using, a baby sling, usually for up to three hours a day.

Despite their popularity, no safety standard exists for baby slings. Parents said they were unsure of how to position the baby safely in the sling, with many resorting to watching YouTube videos for advice. The QUT survey found 5 per cent of babies had been injured or nearly injured while their parents used a sling. Common incidents were parents falling over while wearing the sling, or the baby falling out of the sling.

The national campaign to educate parents about how to use baby slings safely is being developed by the Queensland Office of Fair Trading and will be launched midyear. It will include a YouTube video, brochures, posters and a social media campaign. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is involved in an international pilot to align safety standards for slings.

Miranda mother Kelly Boateng used a baby sling for her daughter, Amali, when she was aged between three months and 12 months, and intends to use one again when her second child is born in June. Ms Boateng said it took her ''a couple of goes'' to work out how to position the Hug-A-Bub sling correctly.

''It was definitely worth it,'' she said. ''Amali just loved it. She would fall asleep within 10 minutes, she just felt so comfortable. It allowed me to cook dinner, do a few things around the house, just be hands-free.''