MISSION PETITIONS CPSC TO INVESTIGATE TRADITIONAL CRIB BUMPERS
CHICAGO, Illinois (July 29, 2010) – Mothers Investigating Safe Sleep Options for Newborns (MISSION) is calling on parents to stop using dangerous traditional crib bumpers immediately. The plea comes after a four-month-old Michigan baby was found dead in her crib earlier this month. The infant was found lodged between a portable recliner and the crib’s bumper pad. MISSION is urging The Consumer Product Safety Commission to launch a current, nationwide investigation on deaths caused by traditional crib bumpers. MISSION has briefed Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, who has demonstrated a heightened awareness and interest in the safety of children’s products, on this important matter.
“Once again, the American Academy of Pediatrics’ mixed message on the use of the traditional crib bumpers may have resulted in another untimely death. Could this death in Michigan been avoided if a traditional crib bumper was not used?” said Catherine Hall, MISSION President. “MISSION aims to empower and educate the public on safe sleep environments.”
More than 100 children have died from the use of traditional crib bumpers based on recent studies. The numbers prove that traditional crib bumpers no longer provide a safe sleep environment for babies:
• A Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) study yields 27 deaths directly attributed to several types of horizontal bumper pads. Given the small, sample database, these numbers should be considered a minimum. The CPSC concludes traditional crib bumpers are dangerous and should not be used.
• The American Academy of Pediatrics also discourages the use of traditional bumper pads and suggests parents remove the pillow-like cushions.
• In another study, the CPSC attributes 93 deaths to dangerous sleep environments between 2004 and 2006 with the majority of these deaths due to the presence of bedding that led to asphyxiation or entrapment of the infant.
• The CPSC study also shows nearly 12,000 injuries sustained during that same time period where the continued use of bumper pads may have enabled older infants to easily climb out of the crib and become injured.
“I lost my first child because of SIDS and I know the traditional bumper pads are a real danger,” said Alison Rhodes, Safety Mom and MISSION Board Member. “The soft, pillow-like bumper pads are a definite health risk. They are not needed and they are dangerous.”
About MISSION:
Mothers Investigating Safe Sleep Options for Newborns strives to investigate and research infant sleep environments, work with organizations to advance the safety of sleep environments for newborns, distribute educational materials, empower and educate the public on safe sleep options and advance political issues regarding child safety, product safety and consumer rights.