The U.S. Senate wants crib bumpers off the stores to curb cases of babies dying from suffocation due to the unsafe sleep product. As a result, lawmakers have passed The Safe Cribs Act that could soon ban the manufacture, distribution, and sale of crib bumpers.
Sen. Rob Portman, who is one of the authors of the proposal, said in his official statement that there is no reason crib bumpers should remain in the market. He added that these "deadly products" only confuse new parents who believe the item is a needed accessory because it's still available on many store shelves.
Portman said that they should be helping new parents prevent unnecessary deaths of babies. The senator also expressed gratitude that the bill has gained bipartisan support from his colleagues.
Endorsement from the American Academy of Pediatrics
The Safe Cribs Act has won an endorsement from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), which has always recommended that the baby's sleeping area should be free of any other unnecessary sleep products, including crib bumpers. The recommendation comes as data from the Consumer Product Safety Commission shows that 107 babies died from suffocation due to crib bumpers from 1990 to 2016. The data also shows nearly 300 non-fatal accidents like strangulation.
"The American Academy of Pediatrics has told caregivers for years that padded crib bumpers are unsafe because we know that they have been tied to dozens of infant fatalities, " AAP chairperson Dr. Ben Hoffman said.
Hoffman reiterated that babies do not need this sleep product for protection, even though some parents may think it could prevent babies from getting their legs or arms stuck in the slats of their crib. The doctor said research shows that getting stuck in the crib rarely happens. If it does, it's more of an inconvenience than a safety issue.
Law to Show "Bare is Best"
Sen. Tammy Duckworth, who co-sponsored the bill, told The 19th News that crib bumpers are often sold with the crib bedding set as a convenient gift to new parents. When Duckworth had babies, she was gifted with crib bumpers with pretty designs that looked good on the crib and had labels that allegedly passed the safety test.
However, a survey from Johns Hopkins showed that many mothers, fathers and caregivers are not aware of its dangers precisely because it's still readily available in stores. Duckworth said that if it becomes a law, the outright ban will finally "make it clear that these things are no longer safe." Advocates applauded the measure because it will, once and for all, convince parents that "bare is best" when it comes to the baby's sleep area.
Currently, only states like Chicago, Maryland, and Ohio have implemented their own laws banning the specific sleep product in 2011, 2013, and 2017, respectively. The Safe Cribs Act is now with the House of Representatives and is awaiting approval before it is transferred to the Office of the President for his approval.
