Hiking for Aiden

On April 1, Tami Vanderwilt will set out to hike the Appalachian Trail. Tami is planning this trip in honor of her grandson, Aiden. He was just 6 months old when his life was tragically ended after he suffocated against a bumper pad while sleeping.

After the death of her grandson, Tami started a blog, Tami's Mental Meanderings, devoted to sharing the message of safe sleep to others to protect children and those who love them from suffering the pain her family experienced. It was here that she announced her plan to hike along the Appalachian Trail, from Springer Mount in Georgia to Mount Katandin in Maine.

For Aiden with Love is a foundation started by Vanderwilt in memory of her grandson. She is raising money through the foundation to help fund organizations, including KID and First Candle, whose missions align with her efforts to spread the word about safe sleep. Anyone interested in donating to For Aiden with Love can find more information on Tami's blog or click here for a direct link to the donation page.

While Tami is advocating for safe sleep practices, the hazards of bumper pads and the lack of response from the CPSC is getting public exposure. The Chicago Tribune ran an article yesterday highlighting stories of babies suffocating because of bumper pads. The article also criticizes CPSC for dragging their feet on investigating submitted reports and possibly laying blame elsewhere. See more in our blog post here.

Failed Investigations on Crib Bumper Safety

Chicago Tribune reporter Ellen Gabler has published an article exposing the Consumer Safety Product Commission's (CPSC) less than adequate job of investigating the role that crib bumper pads play in infant suffocation. The article reported that there have been 17 cases of infant deaths reported to CPSC that were not thoroughly investigated.

Although they had not investigated them, CPSC says other crib items such as blankets and pillows or even medical conditions could be to blame in these 17 infant deaths.

"If the baby was found with the face smushed up against the bumper pad, then I don't understand the relevance of the pillow or the blanket," said Dr. Rachel Moon, a pediatrician at Children's National Medical Center and researcher for the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Bumper pads were originally created to cover the space between crib slats that were too far apart. The space between slats was reduced, but they are still being sold 40 years later and are causing an unnecessary hazard.

The Chicago Tribune also published an article in December 2010 on the hidden hazards of bumper pads. This article featured the stories of Preston and Aiden, two babies who lost their lives to bumper pads. The article also states that federal regulators have known about the hazards of bumper pads for years but has failed to warn parents and remove the item from stores. A study done by Washington University pediatrician Bradley Thach concluded that over two decades, at least 27 infant deaths have been attributed to bumper pads. Again, the Tribune article shows CPSC downplaying the role of bumper pads in infant deaths, claiming there were other contributing factors in each case.

KID recommends that babies be put to sleep on their backs in a bare crib without pillows or soft bedding present in their cribs. KID wrote a blog post on the December 2010 article found here.

Check out our other blog post today on Aiden's grandmother's mission to raise funds and awareness of this issue with a hike along the Appalachian Trail -- starting April 1.

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.

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.