The American Academy of Pediatrics released a new policy statement Tuesday October 18 at the AAP National Conference & Exhibition in Boston entitled “SIDS and Other Sleep-Related Infant Deaths: Expansion of Recommendations for a Safe Infant Sleeping Environment”. The report says that crib bumpers should not be used because there is no evidence that bumper pads prevent injuries, and there is a potential risk of suffocation, strangulation or entrapment. When I read this, my first question was, “Does this include breathable crib bumpers?”
A quick call to the office of Debbie Linchesky, listed as a media contact for the AAP, confirmed that the new guideline does indeed include breathable bumpers. I also picked through the actual technical report itself and read this:
There are other products that attach to crib sides or crib slats that claim to protect infants from injury. However, there are no published data that support these claims. Because of the potential for suffocation, entrapment, and strangulation and lack of evidence to support that bumper pads or similar products that attach to crib slats or sides prevent injury in young infants, the AAP does not recommend their use.
Prior to this new pronouncement, the AAP guidance was to use bumpers only that were not overly puffy. Of course, bumpers will remain on the store shelves unless the Consumer Product Safety Commission decides to act on this new AAP report. I called the CPSC to get a comment and am waiting for a reply.
Dr. Rachel Moon, chairperson of the AAP’s SIDS task force, told CNN, “The problem is that a lot of parents don’t understand that the Consumer Products Safety Commission is not a proactive agency; it’s a reactive agency. So, it only recalls things if there’s a problem. It doesn’t approve products before they go on the market. And a lot of parents have this perception that it stores sell it, it must be safe–because if it wasn’t safe, why would people sell it? And that’s clearly not true. I think that it’s important that parents realize that these things are not safe for their babies.”
Reference – Apartmenttherapy.com
Why is this Wonder Bumper so WONDERful? Well, it is because these bumpers are vertical (they run up and down the crib slats) so they provide the protection from the hard crib without sacrificing safety.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2009 alone, 665 babies died from “accidental suffocation of strangulation while in bed,” and a significant number of those came from the use of crib bumpers. Due to a baby’s lack of strength and motor development, it is possible for infants to roll into a crib bumper to choke, or become suffocated or even strangled.
HB 3052 (McAsey) is a bill that would ban the sale of crib bumper pad sales in the state of Illinois. Currently, bumper pads are illegal to sell in the city of Chicago and the state of Maryland (effective June 2013). They are also prohibited to use in child care facilities in most states. Bumper pads pose suffocation, strangulation, choking and fall hazards and have been deemed “risky and unnecessary” by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
If you want the comfort and safety that bumpers provide, but don’t want to give up quality or style, GoMamaGo’s Wonder Bumpers are a stellar product. They’re doctor approved, are offered in a variety of patterns to fit any nursery, and come in different packs for your convenience!
Bumpers are designed to keep a baby from hitting her head on crib slats. But they’re a suffocation hazard and may be linked to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. A study in The Journal of Pediatrics found that 27 children from 1 month to 2 years old died from suffocating or strangling related to bumpers between 1985 and 2005.
The Wonder Bumpers are innovative, safe, easy to put on and take off, and really make the nursery sparkle.
What really sold me is that is costs about the same as other crib sheet sets, but comes with all these safety features. Wonder Bumpers should be the only crib bumpers parents use!
The ban was adopted after concern about bumpers, which have been found to suffocate and strangle babies. Older babies can use the bumpers to climb out of the crib and fall, studies have also found.
Given the definition of crib bumpers, as we know it, and due to their safety and ingenuity, the City of Chicago and State of Maryland have thoughtfully excluded vertical guards from their bans. Vertical bumpers mitigate injury without introducing the suffocation and entanglement hazards caused by traditional crib bumpers, whose use we agree are the direct result of many infant deaths.
The American Academy of Pediatrics released a new policy statement Tuesday October 18 at the AAP National Conference & Exhibition in Boston entitled “SIDS and Other Sleep-Related Infant Deaths: Expansion of Recommendations for a Safe Infant Sleeping Environment”. The report says that crib bumpers should not be used because there is no evidence that bumper pads prevent injuries, and there is a potential risk of suffocation, strangulation or entrapment. When I read this, my first question was, “Does this include breathable crib bumpers?”
