Safer sleep for babies in the New Year

As we prepare to celebrate the coming of a new year, we thought we would recap some of the safe sleep news from this past year. Make a commitment to help KID keep babies safe this year.

2010 was a big year for product safety news:

• CPSC and FDA warn parents against the use of sleep positioners.

• CPSC approves the toughest crib standard in the world.

• Chicago Tribune and KPRC in Houston report on dangers of crib bumper pads.

• University of California study shows increase in SIDS death on New Year's.

• Millions of cribs were recalled in 2010 for faulty hardware, failing drop-side mechanisms, weak side slats and failing mattress supports.
  
  Caramia crib recall
  Generation 2, ChilDESIGN crib recall
  Simplicity crib recall
  Sorelle Crib recall
  Victory Land crib recall
  Longwood Forest Crib recall
  Ethan Allen crib recall
  Childcraft crib recall and here
  Delta crib recall
  Evenflo crib recall
  Jardine crib recall
  Lajobi crib recall
  Million Dollar Baby crib recall
  Simmons crib recall
  Bassettbaby crib recall
  Alexander Design crib recall
  Pottery Barn crib recall
  Sorelle crib recall
  Graco/Lajobi crib recall
  Dorel Asia crib recall
  
  And this is just the list from 2010! Check here for all crib recalls.
  

To keep your baby safe, here are some resources:

• CPSC's crib resource page

• KID's safe sleep flyer

• SIDS Illinois info on safe sleep.

• KID's Q&A on the new crib standard

• KID's blog post on drop-side cribs -- why are they so dangerous?

For a peaceful and safe new year!

More from Illinois's Attorney General on crib bumper pads

Following two news stories last week on crib bumper pads, one in the Chicago Tribune and the other at the Houston NBC affiliate, KPRC, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan has released a warning to Illinois consumers. The AG's office has released an alert poster warning of the dangers of crib bumper pads as well as a letter to the Juvenile Product Manufacturers Association calling on that industry group to release a study they have conducted on bumper pads and take "immediate and substantial action to address the hazards associated with crib bumpers."

The families featured in both news stories have also shared their children's (Preston and Aiden) stories with KID's Family Voices. Certainly their stories will encourage most parents to remove crib bumper pads (and sleep positioners) from their child's sleep environment immediately.

KID believes a safe sleep environment is a crib, bassinet or portable crib/play yard that meets CPSC and ASTM standards with a tightly fitted sheet and a baby placed on its back -- nothing else should be in the crib. Sleepers and wearable blankets can help parents avoid possible hazardous blankets in the crib.

Q & A on the new crib safety standards: what does it mean for you?

On December 15, 2010, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) adopted new rules that set strong mandatory standards for cribs and portable cribs. These new standards are now the strongest in the world and will provide assurance to parents that when they buy a new crib; it will keep their child safe. This Q&A attempts to answer questions parents and caregivers may have regarding these ground-breaking rules.

Q. Why do we need a new crib standard?

A. Following recent years of recalls of millions of cribs due to entrapment deaths and injuries, the new standards will ensure that new cribs have been tested for safety to rigorous standards. Many babies were killed or injured in unsafe cribs.

Q. What do the new standards cover?

A. The new rules put many new tests and requirements in place:

• Cribs with full side drop-sides will not be allowed -- the bottom 20" of the crib rail must be fixed to eliminate the entrapment hazards seen when the hardware fails.
• All cribs must undergo rigorous testing for slat strength, durability and mattress support strength. The series of testing is conducted on one crib to simulate a life-time of use. This is the key to the new standard. Most of the 10 million cribs recalled since 2007 were able to meet the weak industry standards that were in place.
• Warnings and labeling have been improved, both to make parents more aware of when a crib is mis-assembled and to alert them to developmental signs to stop using a crib (when the child attempts to climb out). While most attention has been rightly focused on entrapment deaths in cribs, most injuries are as a result of children falling out of cribs.

Q. What types of cribs do these standards and rules cover?

A. The new standards include two sets of similar rules: one for full-size cribs and one for non-full-size cribs. Non-full-size cribs can be smaller, larger or a different shape than a full-size crib, which is a standardized shape and size. The rules do not cover mesh sided play yards or portable cribs, only those with rigid sides such as wood or metal cribs. CPSC will be developing a standard for play yards, but it won’t apply to child care as these do.

Q. What is the timing of all these requirements?

A. The new crib standards will be effective in six months. At this time, new and used cribs for sale will have to meet the standards. Then, child care providers and hotels and other public accommodations will have an additional 18 months to replace their non-compliant cribs. By January 2013, all child care facilities should have compliant and safe cribs. Many providers will be able to comply sooner.

Q. I have a drop-side crib at home. Will it be illegal now to use it?

A. No, the new rules have no impact on use of your own cribs at home. However, it will be illegal to sell older model cribs after the effective date in six months. Here is some information on what to do if you are using a drop-side or other older model crib at home:

First, check the list at CPSC.gov and make sure your crib hasn’t been recalled – millions have. Check the list carefully –cribs might be known by a name other than their brand name, or made by one company and sold under another name. If it doubt, get the model name and number and manufacturer and call CPSC to confirm. If it has been recalled, follow the recall instructions to get a repair kit, replace the crib or receive a refund.

If your crib is not recalled, check all the hardware and plastic parts to make sure it is all tight and there are no broken, cracked or missing pieces. The crib should feel sturdy when you shake it and you should not be able to lower the drop-side by any means other than the manufacturer’s instructed method. If your crib shows any breakage or you can move the drop-side without following the correct method, STOP using the crib. Call the company for replacement parts and do not use the crib until new parts are correctly installed. If the crib doesn’t have replacement parts, stop using it and call both the company and CPSC to report the breakage. Never attempt to fix the crib yourself without the correct hardware and instructions from the manufacturer.

If your crib has no broken, cracked or missing parts and feels sturdy, continue to use it until the child can transition to a bed, but stop using the drop-side mechanism and check frequently – at least once a week -- for loose, broken, cracked or missing hardware or parts. However, do not use the crib for a subsequent child or hand it down since assembly and disassembly of a drop-side crib can increase the risk of failure. It may be worth the peace of mind to purchase a new crib.

Q. I’m short (or have a bad back) and think a fixed side crib will make it too difficult for me to care for my baby. What are my options?

A. Many new cribs are lower to the ground and easier to reach into to pick up or lay down your baby. Another option is a drop-gate cribs in which just the top section of the side rail folds down, allowing easier access. And if you feel you do need a stool for access, consider using a wide stable step such as those for step aerobics classes.

Q. My crib has been recalled or I just don't feel safe using it anymore. What is a safe sleeping arrangement for my baby until I get a new crib?

A. First, if your baby is still under 5 months and not yet rolling over or pushing up on her hands and knees, you can use a safe bassinet. For older babies, a safe (not recalled) portable mesh crib or 'pack and play' is a good alternative. And finally, toddlers can be safely moved to a mattress on the floor or a toddler bed. In fact, many injuries in cribs happen when toddlers attempt to crawl out, so it might be time to make the move anyway. Unsafe sleep arrangements include couches, chairs, soft bedding or with siblings or others in a an adult bed.

For a link to a PDF of this Q&A, click here.

CPSC adopts world's toughest crib standards

Following recent years of recalls of millions of cribs due to entrapment deaths and injuries, the new standards, which become mandatory in six months, will ensure that new cribs have been tested for safety to rigorous standards.

The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), signed into law in August of 2008, requires CPSC to issue mandatory standards for infant durable products. This provision of the CPSIA was named in honor and in memory of Danny Keysar. Danny was sixteen months-old when he died in his Chicago childcare home because a portable crib collapsed around his neck. The CPSIA requires mandatory standards and testing for durable infant and toddler products, product registration cards and a ban on the sale or lease of unsafe cribs. Cribs are among the first products for which mandatory standards have been promulgated under this provision.

“This new mandatory standard, the strongest in the world, will ensure that new cribs coming onto the market will provide safe haven for babies and their families,” stated Nancy Cowles, Executive Director of Kids In Danger. “We applaud CPSC for their hard work and tenacity in developing and adopting this landmark rule.”

“Parents and caregivers should have peace of mind that when they leave their baby in a crib that their baby will be safe. For too long that has not been the case,” stated Rachel Weintraub, Director of Product Safety and Senior Counsel for Consumer Federation of America. “We congratulate CPSC for shepherding this strong and much needed consumer protection.”

The new rule puts many new tests and requirements in place:

• Cribs with full side drop-sides will not be allowed -- the bottom 20" of the crib rail must be fixed to eliminate the entrapment hazards seen when the hardware fails.
• All cribs must undergo rigorous testing for slat strength, durability and mattress support strength. The series of testing is conducted on one crib to simulate a life-time use of a crib. This is the key to the new standard. Most of the 10 million cribs recalled since 2007 were able to meet the weak industry standards that were in place.
• Warnings and labeling have been improved, both to make parents more aware of when a crib is mis-assembled and to alert them to developmental signs to stop using a crib (when the child attempts to climb out). While most attention has been rightly focused on entrapment deaths in cribs, most injuries are as a result of children falling out of cribs.

The new requirements are mostly part of the ASTM International voluntary standard that has been adapted to serve as the CPSC mandatory rule. Over the past two years industry, consumer advocates and safety experts have worked feverishly to update the voluntary standard to provide real assurances of a safe product. Prior to the recent rewrite, the most recent significant changes to the voluntary standard were made in 1999. The CPSC mandatory standard was last changed in 1982. The new standards include two sets of similar rules: one for full-size cribs and one for non-full-size cribs. Non-full-size cribs can be smaller, larger or a different shape than a full-size crib, which is a standardized shape and size.

“The lack of durability of recently produced cribs is appalling and has put many babies at risk,” said Don Mays, senior director of product safety and technical policy for Consumers Union/Consumer Reports. “These new regulations will ensure safe sleep environments by raising the bar for the safety and quality of cribs.”

For the first time, this mandatory rule promulgated by CPSC applies to products already in use by some entities as well as to new products. Efforts will begin immediately to remove older unsafe products off store shelves, out of child care homes, and out of hotels. The CPSIA includes a section requiring that cribs that don't meet the new standard can't be sold -- new or used, used in child care, used by hotel guests, or used in other public accommodations. This measure alone will go far in removing unsafe cribs from use. This does not apply to already purchased cribs being used in private homes, except for barring their resale.

Six months after the publication of the standard, all cribs on the market must be in compliance. The Commission voted to give child care facilities and hotels an additional 18 months after that date to replace any non-compliant cribs. CPSC has indicated that cribs currently being manufactured and tested that meet the new standard can continue to be used, even though their sale took place prior to the new rule being official.

“After years of foot dragging by the industry, CPSC has now approved a standard and testing regimen that will keep children safe – avoiding the crib recalls, entrapment deaths and injuries that have plagued the industry,” said Elizabeth Hitchcock of US Public Interest Research Group.

A look back before tomorrow's historic CPSC crib vote

As we posted last week, the CPSC will vote tomorrow on new mandatory standards for full-size and non-full-size cribs. The standards, if adopted, will be the strongest crib standards in the world. This in the country that has had to recall 10 million plus cribs in the last three years because of deaths and injuries from entrapment hazards when the cribs basically fall apart.

But the push for strong mandatory standards didn't start in 2007 when a Chicago Tribune story and a flood of recalled toys from China focused the nation's attention on children's product safety.

There was Danny Lineweaver in California. His parents, Rose and John, founded the Danny Foundation in 1984 after Danny strangled when his clothing was caught on a crib corner post. For years, the Danny Foundation worked to improve the voluntary standard by incorporating the ban against corner posts and crib cut-outs that might catch on clothes or strings. They also supported the Infant Crib Safety Act, requiring that cribs for sale or in use in public accommodations such as child care met current crib standards.

Iin 1997, Tyler died in a drop-side crib. His mother Michelle Witte has fought valiantly for a ban on this particularly hazardous crib design.

Then in 1998, another Danny, Danny Keysar was killed when the portable crib he napped in at child care collapsed, catching his neck in the v-shape of the side rails and strangling him. His parents founded Kids In Danger -- originally to spread the word to parents about recalled products and child safety. But they soon learned that the real problem was bigger -- there was no requirement that children's products like cribs, strollers and high chairs be tested for safety before they were sold. The crib that killed Danny was never tested for the safety of that folding design -- even though it was the first of its kind. Within months on the market, it had killed a child -- the first of six children to die in that particular brand, at least 19 have died in cribs of that same design.

So in 2001, KID board members sat down with Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky who had volunteered to help with the problem of unsafe children's products. She asked us, "what would be your ideal fix? What would solve the problem?" Without hesitation, we responded -- strong mandatory standards and independent testing. She drafted the Infant and Toddler Durable Product Safety Act and introduced it that year. Each year co-sponsors signed on, but no vote was taken.

Fast forward to 2007 -- the articles, the recalls and Congressional attention. Now, Congress was ready to act and in 2008, the Infant and Toddler Durable Product Safety Act, along with the Infant Crib Safety Act, were incorporated into the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) under the Danny Keysar Child Product Notification Safety Act. This also included the requirement for product registration cards for these same durable products so parents would learn more quickly of recalls.

Now three years later, the new crib standard, and accreditation procedures for the independent labs that will test these cribs is on the verge of adoption.

KID does our work to honor the memories of Danny Keysar, Tyler Witte and Danny Lineweaver, along with the many other children who have died in unsafe products. Visit the Family Voices website to read just a few of the stories.

We eagerly anticipate tomorrow's vote and hope CPSC does the right thing. Let's give our children a safe future!

Chicago Tribune writes about dangers of crib bumper pads, CPSC agrees to take a 'fresh look'

Both Aiden's and Preston's families have shared their stories with KID and we have been warning for years against crib bumper pads. But bumpers continue to be marketed to new parents, show up in many retailer 'staging' of cribs, and even CPSC has previously dismissed the hazards.

But now, the Chicago Tribune has written another impactful story on a juvenile product safety concern -- crib bumper pads. The article cites the stories of these two families whose children suffocated on bumper pads this year. It also cites additional data at CPSC of dozens of other deaths in which bumpers were involved.

We urge parents and caregivers to read the article, throw out your bumpers if you are currently using them, and pass this safety message unto any new parents you know. CPSC has agreed to re-examine the safety of bumpers. As safe sleep groups have been saying for years, a safe crib is a bare crib -- a tightfitting sheet only and a baby on its back.

Our hearts go out to Preston's and Aiden's families and we thank them again for sharing their stories -- it will save lives.

CPSC set to vote on final new crib standards

At this week's CPSC Commission meeting, staff presented a briefing on the new rules for full-size and non-full-size cribs. There were few changes from the earlier proposed rules. These new rules put many important tests and requirements in place:

• Cribs with full side drop-sides will not be allowed -- the bottom 20" of the crib rail must be fixed to eliminate the entrapment hazards seen when the hardware fails.
• All cribs must undergo much more rigorous testing for slat strength, durability and mattress support strength. The series of testing is done on one crib to simulate a life-time use of a crib. This is the key to the new standard. Most of the 10 million cribs recalled since 2007 were able to meet the weak industry standards that were in place.
• Warnings and labeling have been improved, both to make parents more aware of when a crib is mis-assembled and to alert them to developmental signs to stop using a crib (when the child attempts to climb out). While most attention has been rightly focused on entrapment deaths in cribs, the largest number of injuries come from children falling out of cribs.
• For the first time, efforts will begin immediately to get the older unsafe cribs off store shelves, out of child care homes and out of use. A portion of the CPSIA requires that cribs that don't meet the new standard can't be sold -- new or used, used in child care, be given to hotel guests or used in other public accommodations. This measure alone will go far in removing unsafe cribs from use. This does not apply to already purchased cribs being used in private homes, except for barring their resale. CPSC staff is recommending that child care facilities have one year from the approval of the new rule to replace any non-compliant cribs. CPSC has indicated that cribs currently being manufactured and tested that meet the new standard can continue to be used, even though their sale took place prior to the new rule being official.

At the briefing on Wednesday, most of the questions were centered around that provision -- that older cribs that don't meet the current standard not be used in child care. While the commissioners all want to see safe cribs in child care and all settings, there was concern expressed over the cost and timeline.

That provision in the CPSIA was first proposed by the Danny Foundation as a way to remove cribs from use that were unsafe. The Danny Foundation (now closed, but supporters went on to start Keeping Babies Safe) was founded by the parents of Danny Lineweaver who strangled when his clothing was caught on a crib cornerpost. The Foundation and its executive director Jack Walsh worked tirelessly to add safety provisions to the voluntary crib standard -- many of which are now in this proposed mandatory standard.

So for now, the vote is scheduled for next Wednesday, December 15 at 10AM EST. However, commissioners have the prerogative to postpone the vote by a week, so we'll keep you posted!

Senate sub-committee holds hearing on CPSC -- product safety in the holiday season

Today Rachel Weintraub, Director of Product Safety and Senior Counsel with the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) testified on the progress the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has made in making products safer, as well as the challenges faced by the agency.

The Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Insurance Subcommittee of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, headed by Senator Mark Pryor

(D‐AR), held the hearing to address Product Safety in the Holiday Season, as part of their oversight responsibilities of the CPSC.

Ms. Weintraub testified on behalf of CFA, as well as Consumers Union, Kids In Danger and the U.S. Public Interest Research Group. Representatives from industry, small manufacturers and the American Academy of Pediatrics also spoke, following a panel of the CPSC Chairman, Inez Tenenbaum and Commissioner Anne Northup.

“Whenever we make a purchase for our family and friends, most people assume that the product they are considering is safe.,” stated Weintraub. “While consumers do need to think about how the child interacts with the product, if there are other children in the house who may play with the product, or whether the product has been previously recalled, there are some issues that no amount of thought or planning can detect. It is the realm of hidden hazards that the CPSIA and CPSC have sought to detect and prevent.”

Her testimony outlined successes that CPSC has had since implementing the CPSIA. These include a strong mandatory crib standard, a comprehensive consumer incident database, online toy warnings, product registration, and mandatory toy standards.

Ms. Weintraub also discussed the challenges facing the agency involving implementation of the CPSIA and concerns raised by stakeholders as well as the problem of cadmium in children’s products.

Ms. Weintraub rejected attempts to "open a series of gaping loopholes in the CPSIA that would allow more lead into a host children’s products,” that have been proposed by various stakeholders. “Allowing more lead in children’s products and carving out products from the scope of the CPSIA is not what children are asking for this holiday season.”

You can view the archived webcast and read testimony from participants as well as statements from Senators here.