Building Baby Safety From the Ground Up
A warm bath, lullaby and bedtime stories are staples in your child's nighttime routine. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) urges parents and caregivers to add a safe sleep environment to the daily routine of placing baby to sleep.
CPSC staff is aware of 97 crib related deaths from 2002 through 2004.
A CPSC staff analysis of deaths related to cribs found that about half of the deaths were in cribs containing pillows, quilts and other bedding. About half of these were due to suffocation when infants ended up face down on pillows or face down in a crib with pillows, quilts and other bedding.
Thirty-percent of crib deaths were attributed to entrapment between components of old cribs that were in bad condition, with broken or missing parts or loose hardware, and entrapment in spaces generated between the sides of a crib and an ill fitted mattress. The remainder of the deaths were associated with accessories situated in/around the crib (such as window cords or curtain tie backs), falls out of cribs, alterations made to cribs, or entrapment when the child became wedged between the crib and other furniture or a wall.
As CPSC works to remove defective products from the marketplace, parents and caregivers are being asked to take action as well.
The CPSC is urging parents:
* To reduce the risk of SIDS and suffocation, place baby to sleep on his or her back in a crib that meets current safety standards.
* To prevent suffocation never use a pillow as a mattress for baby to sleep on or to prop baby's head or neck.
* Infants can strangle to death if their bodies pass through gaps generated between loose components, broken slats and other parts of the crib and their head and neck become entrapped in the space.
* Do not use old, broken or modified cribs.
* Regularly tighten hardware to keep sides firm.
* Infants can suffocate in spaces generated between the sides of the crib and an ill fitted mattress; never allow a gap larger than two fingers at any point between the sides of the crib and the mattress.
* Never place a crib near a window with blind or curtain cords; infants can strangle on curtain or blind cords.
* Properly set up play yards according to manufacturers' directions. Only use the mattress provided with the play yard. Do not add extra mattresses, pillows or cushions to the play yard, which can cause a suffocation hazard for infants.
* Routinely check nursery products against CPSC recall lists and remove recalled products from your home.
* Sign-up for automatic e-mail recall notifications at www.cpsc.gov
The CPSC has been working since 1973 to improve crib safety with the publication of mandatory standards for full-size cribs and non-full size cribs. CPSC staff has also been involved in the development of voluntary standards for cribs addressing issues such as corner posts and structural and mechanical failures. The work of the CPSC has contributed to an 86% decrease in crib related deaths.
Deadly Danger: Infants & Air Mattresses
The U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is warning families that air mattresses are too soft for use with sleeping infants. Never place infants to sleep on air mattresses or other soft surfaces (such as water beds and adult beds), which are not specifically designed or safe for infant use.
Since 2002, CPSC has received reports of 16 tragic deaths, mostly infants younger than 8 months of age who were placed to sleep on air mattresses: 11 suffocated in a face down position on an air mattress and 5 died due to suffocation after falling into gaps between the mattress and bed frame and mattress and adjacent furniture or wall.
Generic twin-, full-, or queen-sized inflatable mattresses are usually intended for adults and older children. Even properly inflated air mattresses are usually too soft for infants to maintain a clear airway. Air leaks and under-inflation also contribute to incidents.
Wherever your baby sleeps should be as safe as possible. CPSC recommends these safe sleeping tips:
* Always place your baby to sleep on his or her back to reduce the risk of SIDS.
* Never place baby to sleep on an adult bed. Infants can suffocate on bedding or can become entrapped between the mattress and bed frame or mattress and wall.
* When using a crib, make sure it meets current safety standards, has a firm, tight-fitting mattress and tight-fitting bottom sheet.
* When using a portable crib or play yard, be sure to use only the mattress or pad provided by the manufacturer.
