Safety Tip – American Academy of Pediatrics: "Don't Put Bumper Pads in Cribs"
November 10, 2011
American Academy of Pediatrics Says Do Not Put Bumber Pads on Cribs
One would wonder why it took so long to come to the conclusion that bumper pads in cribs were dangerous and should not be used. The American Academy of Pediatrics has finally issued a warning that bumper pads should not be used in cribs because they can cause personal injury and/or death by causing suffocation of the baby in the crib–and it turns out that there is no solid evidence that they prevent any sort of injuries anyhow.
“We weighed the pros and cons and the evidence, and felt that the safest thing would be to keep bumpers out of the crib altogether,” said Dr. Fern R. Hauck, a member of the academy’s SIDS task force and a professor of family medicine at the University of Virginia. Investigations by the Tribune this year and last year found that federal regulators with the Consumer Product Safety Commission have gotten reports for years of babies suffocating against bumper pads, yet they have failed to warn parents or investigate all the deaths.
The regulators have hesitated to take a stance on the safety of bumper pads, saying they are trying to determine if there is a scientific link between bumper pads and suffocation, or if blankets, pillows or medical issues played a primary role in the babies’ deaths.
In response to the Tribune’s stories, the city of Chicago and state of Maryland recently prohibited sales of crib bumpers, often packaged as part of bedding sets.
via Don’t put bumper pads in cribs, says American Academy of Pediatrics – Chicago Tribune.
