Washington, D.C. – A coalition of safety advocates today commended the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) for voting unanimously to move forward with a strong proposal to keep infants safe from the hazards posed by crib bumper pads. Evidence shows that crib bumpers are unnecessary decorative items that offer no protection from serious injury, and are linked to dozens of infant deaths from suffocation and sudden unexpected infant death (SUID).
The proposed standard, which seeks to prohibit crib bumpers that pose known safety hazards to infants, follows more than a decade of warnings by pediatricians and safety experts against using crib bumper pads. Multiple studies have concluded that crib bumpers pose a serious risk to infants, and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that infants sleep alone in their own space on a firm, flat surface, with no extra bedding.
Safety advocates today applauded the CPSC’s move as a critical step toward ensuring that every infant has a safe sleep environment.
“The CPSC’s proposed safety standard will go a long way to keep dangerous crib bumper pads off the market. Parents and caregivers should always keep cribs free of any extra bedding, yet crib bumpers conflict with this advice—sending mixed signals that could lead parents to unwittingly put their baby at risk. We commend the CPSC for moving forward and urge the agency to get this standard in place quickly,” said Oriene Shin, Policy Counsel for Home and Product Safety at Consumer Reports.
“The availability of padded crib bumpers on store shelves and online confuses parents into thinking they are safe and perhaps even a safety item,” stated Nancy Cowles, Executive Director of Kids In Danger. “Nothing could be further from the truth – bumper pads are responsible for dozens of deaths and have no place in a safe sleep environment. We commend CPSC for beginning the process of getting them off store shelves and out of homes.”
“Crib bumpers appear to be common and harmless nursery items, but in reality, due to the strong crib safety standard, the utility of crib bumpers is limited, while the risks are significant. These products are not necessary,” said Rachel Weintraub, Legislative Director and General Counsel with Consumer Federation of America. “The CPSC’s crib bumper standard is a critical step to eliminating this hazardous product from the marketplace. We applaud this effort.”
“The continued marketing and sale of crib bumpers give parents a false sense of confidence when they lay their babies down to sleep. This new safety standard will end that confusion by permanently removing deadly crib bumpers from store shelves,” said Grace Brombach, U.S. PIRG Education Fund Consumer Watchdog Associate.
“The best available science states that babies should sleep on a flat, firm surface with no extra bedding. This rule is an important step in protecting babies from preventable injuries or death,” said Remington A. Gregg, Counsel for Civil Justice and Consumer Rights at Public Citizen.