Screenshot from Peloton commercial showing bumper pads.
You may have a Peloton bike in your home or gym – they’ve become even more popular during the pandemic. However, we recently noticed that Peloton is airing a commercial that includes images of a baby in a crib with crib bumper pads, blanket, and stuffed animal which can be deadly to an infant during sleep (screenshot from commercial above). This is not the first company to show a baby in a hazardous sleep environment, but with your help, we hope it might be one of the last. Sign our petition to call on Pelton to remove images of unsafe crib bumpers from their commercials.
Every year over 3,500 infants die unexpectedly in sleep environments. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics’ safe sleep guidelines, objects that could increase the risk of entrapment, suffocation, or strangulation such as crib bumpers, blankets, and stuffed animals should not be in the baby’s sleep area.
Dozens of children have suffocated on crib bumper pads. Aiden was six months old when he suffocated on the bumper in his crib. Aiden’s grandmother said, “Aiden was robbed of his life, and we of the immense joy he brought to us, because of a crib bumper pad.”
The portrayal of babies in cribs in the media has been a growing problem. A study that researched stock photos of infants found that only 5% adhere to the American Academy of Pediatrics’ guidelines. Perception is reality, and images showing unsafe environments gives consumers the false sense of confidence that bumper pads are safe.
KID and other safe sleep organizations are working to normalize the ‘Bare is Best’ sleep environment where nothing is in the infant’s crib except for a tight-fitting mattress and fitted sheet. The Peloton ad goes against this messaging and continues to perpetuate the idea that crib bumper pads are safe.
Since so many people are buying Pelotons now for their at-home gyms, this would be a great time for the company to spread safe sleep messaging rather than showing unsafe images. Sign our petition to urge Peloton to be a champion for safe sleep and remove dangerous crib bumper pads from their advertisements.
1 Comment
michael goodstein, MD
As an author of the cited research, i couldn't agree more that companies need to be responsible for their content and always promote safety in their advertising. Since Peloton is all about good health, i hope they will do the right thing and fix this ad so that it shows a safe sleep environment consistent with the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics.