Chicago Tribune, Illinois Attorney General Sound Alarm on Crib Bumpers
Jane Kitchen -- Kids Today, 1/4/2011 10:04:29 AM
Chicago -- After an article last month in the Chicago Tribune highlighted the possible dangers of crib bumpers, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan issued an alert to Illinois parents, grandparents and other caregivers of infants last week urging them to remove bumper pads used along the sides of cribs. Madigan said immediate action is necessary in light of the number of infant deaths and injuries attributed to bumper pads.
"We know that children have tragically died in their cribs because of these bumper pads," Attorney General Madigan said. "Parents and caregivers should remove these bumpers to prevent tragedy."
Madigan's office said that since 2008, the National Center for Child Death Review has received reports of 14 infants who have died from suffocation caused by crib bumpers. Madigan also said she has sent a letter to the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association asking the group to release a study about the dangers of crib bumper pads.
The JPMA responded in a press release, saying that it is concerned about the inconsistent communication of messages to parents regarding crib bumper pad use.
"JPMA is disappointed to learn about Attorney General Madigan's position on crib bumper pad use from the Chicago Tribune," said Michael Dwyer, CAE executive director of the JPMA. "We contacted Madigan's office in October to discuss a partnership on JPMA's Safe Sleep Campaign, and to date, have not received a response."
The JPMA said it has consistently noted the following recommendations for crib bumper pad use, as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP):
• If bumper pads are used, remove them when the baby begins to stand so that they can't be used as a step.
• Remove pillows, quilts, comforters, sheepskins, soft or pillow-like bumpers, stuffed toys and other soft products from the crib.
The JPMA also recommends that parents and caregivers select bumper pads that fit around the entire crib, and tie or snap securely into place.
"The key issue is to distinguish between ‘pillow-like' bumpers and traditional infant bumpers which were determined not to present a substantial hazard by the CPSC. Unless there's a clear distinction between ‘soft' bedding and ‘pillow-like' bumpers, traditional bumper pad products can be erroneously characterized as a suffocation risk," stated Dwyer.
The JPMA also said that according to incident data provided by the CPSC, the effectiveness of bumper pads is supported with data related to limb entrapment. More detail is provided in the Epidemiology staff's memorandum that was part of the CPSC staff's briefing package for the new crib regulation and is available on the CPSC website at: http://www.cpsc.gov/library/foia/foia10/brief/104cribs.pdf.
The JPMA said that it has commissioned a study of bumper pads, and the organization is currently reviewing outcomes and data from the study, while considering submission of the final results for peer review and publishing in a medical journal. The JPMA commissioned study analyzes outcomes from multiple studies, including the Thach study published in the Journal of Pediatrics in 2007. The JPMA stated in the press release that "initial analysis of the Thach study showed troubling methodological concerns," and that "an additional study from the United Kingdom found that there is no statistical association between bumper pad usage and death by a SIDS diagnosis in 256 SIDS infants."
The press release went on to say:
"JPMA has a long history supporting the ASTM in creating voluntary guidelines for infant products, which includes infant bedding and bumper pads. Based on the outcomes of the JPMA commissioned study, there have been mechanical parameters identified that can be utilized by ASTM to develop enhanced infant bedding standards and implemented by manufacturers to ensure the safest product for babies. Some of the mechanical parameters outlined in the study include softness, malleability, permeability and rebreathing. Today, there are no federal guidelines governing crib bumper pads. JPMA encourages additional and ongoing safety reviews of infant crib bumper pads."
"JPMA and our members want to work with all stakeholders including advocacy groups, parents and regulators to seek ways to improve the voluntary standard for infant bedding and to ensure the communication of consistent safety messages to parents and caregivers," said Dwyer.
Attorney General Madigan said she had urged the JPMA to release the study immediately in order to help the proper authorities take any necessary steps to prevent further harm.
"The JPMA needs to release results of its study and implement effective measures to remove these bumpers from the marketplace," Madigan said. "Manufacturers and distributors of these pads must take responsibility for the dangers posed by these products. We must work together to educate parents and caregivers and ensure cribs across Illinois and nationwide are safe for babies."
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