Why crib bumpers are dangerous

Bipartisan legislation has been introduced in Congress to ban the sale of crib bumpers, which pediatricians have long said are unnecessary and pose a deadly risk to sleeping babies. The bill, called the Safe Cribs Act, would also make it illegal in the U. The padding is considered dangerous because babies can roll over and press their faces against the material, leading to suffocation. Bumpers are sold widely in stores and online despite not aligning with safe sleep recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The group says babies should be put to bed in a bare environment, free of soft bedding, alone, and on their backs. The bill was introduced by Sens. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill. But as Consumer Reports has previously reported , the existence of a product on the market does not necessarily mean that it is safe.

Safety advocates have fought for years to get padded crib bumpers off the market, though currently only a few states have banned their sale. Experts say the science still isn't clear about the health effects on infants of cannabis in breast milk, so they recommend new mothers avoid the drug.

Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Medically reviewed by Karen Gill, M. Baker on June 15, Share on Pinterest. What are crib bumpers? Why are crib bumpers unsafe? Are newer crib bumpers safe? Are breathable bumpers better? Are bumpers ever OK? Parenthood Baby 06 Months. Sleep Disorders in Children. Bumper pads are of little use in keeping a baby safe, according to the AAP.

A baby could die, however, if he got his face caught against a bumper or his head tangled in a bumper pad. Goodstein suggested dressing your baby in a sleep-sack or lightweight wearable blanket to keep the legs safely enclosed.

In a report , the organization analyzed fatal and nonfatal incidents associated with crib bumpers between January and March The analysis suggested that bumper pads in cribs caused deaths and near-deadly injuries when:. You may be wondering about mesh crib liner safety, but even bumpers that are made of mesh can be unsafe in cribs. If mesh bumpers come loose, they could strangle the baby or trap him between the bumper and the mattress. Data from the U.

Consumer Product Safety Commission CPSC backs that up: It found that, between and , there were injuries and baby deaths associated with crib bumpers. Laos , M. This sets a child up for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome or other sleep-related infant deaths. The guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics AAP on the subject are similarly clear: "Because there is the potential for suffocation , entrapment and strangulation, these products are not recommended.

On top of the risks, there's not much to suggest that bumpers and pads do what they're designed to do, either. And newer crib standards mandate that slats are closer together, so the danger of a baby getting her head stuck between them is no longer an issue. That's not to say that a child can never be injured by the crib slats.