WASHINGTON— The government is preparing a safety warning about baby slings _ those popular and fashionable infant carriers that parents strap around their chests to give the little ones a cuddle on the move.

The concern: Infants can suffocate, and at least a few have.

The head of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, Inez Tenenbaum, said Tuesday that her agency is getting ready to issue a general warning to the public, likely to go out this week, about the slings.

"We know of too many deaths in these slings and we now know the hazard scenarios for very small babies," said Tenenbaum. "So, the time has come to alert parents and caregivers."

Tenenbaum spoke at a meeting of the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association, an industry trade group that certifies certain children's products, including soft infant carriers.

Tenenbaum did not single out any specific baby slings or discuss the number of deaths linked to them. But there have been complaints for a couple years now about some baby carriers.

In 2008, Consumer Reports raised concerns about the soft fabric slings and some two dozen serious injuries, mostly when a child fell out of them. A follow-up blog warned about a suffocation risk and linked the slings to at least seven infant deaths.

Consumer Reports, published by Consumers Union, complained about the "SlingRider" by Infantino. The "bag style" sling wraps around the parent's neck and cradles the child in a curved or "C-like" position, nestling the baby below mom's chest or near her belly.

It's the "C-like" position that causes safety advocates to shudder. They say the curved position can cause the baby, which has little head and neck control in the early months, to flop its head forward, chin-to-chest _ restricting the baby's ability to breathe.

Another concern: that the baby can turn its face toward mom's chest or belly and smother in the parent's clothing.

Infantino's "SlingRider" was recalled in 2007 for problems with the plastic sliders on the sling's strap. But there have been no recalls because of a suffocation risk.

A statement from Infantino said the company believes the SlingRider is safe, but added that officials there were working with the Consumer Product Safety Commission "to address the agency's concerns and those of any parents and caregivers."