Report Finds Majority of Nursery-Related Deaths Associated with Soft Bedding in the Crib

Every year, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) releases a report based on the most recent statistics regarding injuries and deaths associated with nursery products used by children ages five and under.

Injuries and fatalities are collected through the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS). NEISS is an online database that holds emergency department visits and statistics associated with commonly used consumer products. Nursery product-related injury estimates were made for 2018 from NEISS data. Information involving deaths associated with nursery products is presented by using the CPSC epidemiological databases. Specifically, the Consumer Product Safety Risk Management System.

Emergency department-treated injuries:

• In 2018, there was an injury rate of an estimated 298 injuries per 100,000 children under the age of 5 years.
• Sixty-six percent of total estimated injuries were associated with highchairs, cribs/mattresses, infant carriers, and strollers/carriages.
• Seventy-three percent of injuries were diagnosed as an internal organ injury, contusion/abrasion, or laceration, as reported by NEISS.
• Falls were the leading cause of injury in 2018.
• A trend analysis, based on data from between 2016 and 2018, as well as 2015 and 2018, showed no statistical-significant trend.

Fatalities due to nursery products:

• Eighty-four percent of fatalities reported were associated with cribs/mattresses, playpens, bassinets/cradles, infant carriers, and portable baby swings.
• The majority of deaths were associated with soft bedding in the crib which can lead to asphyxiation. For example, unnecessary pillows, blankets, or comforters in the sleep environment.
• Twelve incident scenarios mentioned the presence of crib bumper pads in the child’s sleep environment.

Highchairs had the greatest number of treated injuries in 2018 with a total of 59,000 estimated emergency department visits. In 2018, there were three major highchairs recalled, all posing fall and injury hazards. As mentioned above, falls were the leading cause of injury in 2018. Two of the 2018 highchair recalls include the Skip Hop Tuo Convertible Highchair  and the Graco Table2Table 6-in-1 Highchair.

If you believe you are using a defective product, stop using the product and contact the product vendor. Check the CPSC website for product recalls. SaferProducts.gov is a great place to look for reports on products you may be using. If you have an incident with a children’s product, report it at SaferProducts.gov.