(Washington, D.C.) – On May 18, 2022, the President signed the Safe Sleep for Babies Act, which prohibits the manufacturing and sale of padded crib bumper pads and infant inclined sleepers, products which have known risks for entrapment and suffocation and have resulted in infant deaths.
“As a pediatrician who has lost patients to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), this is a big step to making sleep safer for infants,” said Dr. Hailey Nelson, a complex care pediatrician at Valley Children’s Charlie Mitchell Children’s Center. “Avoiding crib bumpers and inclined sleepers has been a safety measure supported by parents, pediatricians and consumer advocates for years now – this law will standardize safe sleep habits for all babies.”
Approximately 3,500 infants die each year in the United States from sleep-related deaths. While SIDS can happen to any baby within the first year of life, this devastating event is most common between 1 to 4 months of age and typically takes place when a baby is sleeping.
According to The Consumer Federation of America (CFA), the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) received 113 reported fatalities involving crib bumpers from January 1, 1990, through March 31, 2019, and more than 100 babies have died in infant inclined sleep products.
Providing education and creating safe sleep environments for infants is an important issue for Valley Children’s Healthcare. Watch the video below to learn more about sleep safety and reduce the risks of your baby’s sleep environment.