A doll shows how a real infant can suffocate on crib bumper pads

A doll shows how a real infant can suffocate on crib bumper pads

Just finished watching myself on the Dr. Oz show – never an experience I expected to have – but I was thrilled to have the opportunity to share information on the dangers of crib bumper pads.

New research  about the increasing dangers of crib bumper pads put this issue in the public spotlight.  We all want to know the answer to the question Dr. Oz posed: Why are crib bumper pads still for sale?

I went to New York last month to tape the show.  NJ Sheers, one of the authors of the new research and former project manager of the US Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) Infant Sleep Project, was there as well as the main guest – Dr. Michael Goodstein of the American Academy of Pediatrics.  We have worked with Dr. Goodstein through Cribs for Kids.

It was great to have such a national platform to discuss this safety issue.  Because bumpers are still in stores (except in Maryland and Chicago) and in magazines and online style articles, it is hard to reach parents with the dangers these products pose.  The Dr. Oz Show reached millions in 20 short minutes.  I shared Preston’s and Aiden’s stories and the grief their families have faced because of crib bumper pads.

Here are the safety messages:

  • Cribs are safest when they are bare – no crib bumpers, pillows, extra padding or soft bedding. Use a wearable blanket or warm pajamas on your baby instead.
  • Putting babies on their backs to sleep has saved 35,000 babies since the education campaign began. Babies sleep safest on their backs – every time, including naps.
  • While mesh liners may not pose the same suffocation risk, there isn’t enough data and they aren’t needed.

What now?  Can you take a few easy steps to help increase the impact of the recent media?

  • Watch and share the Oz Show (watch segments 6,7,10) and read the show’s blog post.
  • Sign and share Dr. Oz’s org petition asking CPSC to take action to get this dangerous product out off store shelves.
  • Sign up for the KID Action Team and help turn attention into action.

It has been heartening to see the many comments on our Facebook posts and in the comments on the petition – so many families and organizations are committed to sharing this safety information.  Keep up the good work and let’s get this product off store shelves once and for all