KID releases statement applauding CPSC for voting to pass Infant Sleep Product Rule.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 2, 2021

Contacts:
Devin Miller, dmiller@aap.org;
Rachel Weintraub, rweintraub@consumerfed.org ;
Nancy Cowles, nancy@kidsindanger.org ;
Remington Gregg, rgregg@citizen.org ;
Michelle Barry, michelle.barry@safeinfantsleep.org;
Teresa Murray, tmurray@pirg.org

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Consumer Groups Applaud Commission’s Action to Protect Nation’s Infants

Statement of American Academy of Pediatrics, Consumer Federation of America, Kids In Danger, Public Citizen, Safe Infant Sleep, and U.S. Public Interest Research Group

Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) today voted to adopt a mandatory safety standard that would regulate products marketed or intended to be sleep products for infants up to five months old. Currently, these products are unregulated and have led to at least 94 infant deaths. The CPSC estimates that one in three families own one or more of the items that would have been regulated by the rule.

“Pediatricians have counseled far too many grieving families whose young infants died using unsafe sleep products. This final rule will help give parents assurance that the products they buy for their babies are safe, and the implementation of this new safety standard will protect infants while they sleep and save lives. We celebrate this bipartisan vote and all it means for families,” said American Academy of Pediatrics President Lee Savio Beers, MD, FAAP.

“We applaud the passage of this commonsense rule that will unequivocally save lives and prevent injuries,” stated Rachel Weintraub, Legislative Director and General Counsel at Consumer Federation of America. “This rule takes major and significant steps to ensure that infants in the United States will not remain at risk in products intended for sleep.”

“Kids In Danger (KID) was founded by parents whose son died in a dangerous infant sleep product that came to market without meeting any safety standard,” stated Nancy Cowles, Executive Director of Kids In Danger. “This rule will prevent that from continuing to happen to other families. This means that when parents buy or use infant sleep products in the future, they can be sure they meet a strong safety standard. This loophole that led to Danny’s death and hundreds of others will be closed.”

“Today is a good day for the Commission. After four long years, the Commission is once again focusing on what matters—protecting our families from harm instead of shielding corporations from accountability,” said Remington A. Gregg, Counsel for Civil Justice and Consumer Rights at Public Citizen.

“We’re grateful and relieved that the CPSC voted to regulate these sleep products and do more to protect infants. We hope this means no other families have to endure the tragedy of an infant death caused by a dangerous sleep product,” said Teresa Murray, Consumer Watchdog with U.S. Public Interest Research Group.

“We are overjoyed with today’s vote to ensure infant sleep products meet one of the CPSC infant sleep standards,” Michelle Barry, a parent-advocate with Safe Infant Sleep. “It is an important step in ensuring dangerous items are not sold on store shelves. Thank you to the CPSC staff who have worked to get this passed for our babies. We appreciate the Commissioner’s commitment to safe infant sleep.”