Arm's Reach Bed-Side Sleepers RECALLED

Yesterday, CPSC released the Arm's Reach Concepts, Inc's voluntary recall of about 76,000 infant bed-side sleepers, due to entrapment, suffocation and fall hazards.

Infants are at risk of falling from the raised mattress to the loose fabric at the bottom of the sleeper or possibly suffocating by becoming entrapped between the mattress and the sleeper. 10 reports have been filed with CPSC and Arm's Reach, citing infants falling or becoming entrapped.

The recall includes all bed-side sleepers manufactured between September 1997 and December 2001. Model number and manufacture date can be found on a sticker on one of the product's legs. The recall includes model numbers that begin with:

Originals: 8108, 8133, 8111, 8112 & 8199

Universal: 8311

CPSC suggests that consumers stop using the product immediately. Visit www.armsreach.com/instructions to download instructions to make sure your sleeper is assembled correctly before continuing use. Consumers can contact Arm's Reach at (800) 954-9353 or a www.armsreach.com.

Ten reports of potentially entrapped infants is troubling and just telling parents to read the instructions again doesn't seem much of a remedy. Be very careful using this product and discontinue use until you check your assembly for any potential gaps. Bedside sleepers can form dangerous gaps between the adult bed and the product if it isn't tightly installed, only on beds with a box spring and mattress configuration. Report any concerns with your bedside sleeper or other products to SaferProducts.gov.

Remembering Andy Sage

This weekend, KID honors the memory of Andy Sage. Andy suffocated on a sleep positioner in January 2002. Since then, his parents have been committed to warning others of the dangers of this product. Just last year, CPSC and FDA finally warned parents about what the Sages and KID had been saying for years -- sleep positioners are dangerous and an unnecessary product. After that warning, manufacturers stopped making the product (we hope!) and they are no longer available on most retailer's shelves. But many are still in use or circulation and we urge parents to stop using this deadly product. As with bumpers, pillows and comforters, soft bedding has no place in a crib.

Andy left behind not only his parents, but a twin brother and a little sister he never got to meet. Andy's family members have been strong supporters of KID, holding several New York based events to raise awareness. Judy Sage, his mom, serves on our board of directors. Because of the Sages' efforts, babies now sleep safer.

And there is another legacy as well. When Andy's grandmother died in 2008, the family directed memorial gifts to KID. With those, KID launched the Debby Sayah Grandparent Outreach Program. This project recognizes the important role grandparents play and gives them the tools they need to keep their beloved grandchildren safe.

So join us this weekend in honoring Andy's memory. Share our life saving resources with the grandparents in your child's life and learn more about safe sleep.

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?

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, FDA issue warning on sleep positioners

In January 2002, 8 week old Andy Sage died -- not from SIDS as the medical examiner thought at first, but from suffocating on a sleep positioner. Andy turned his head down toward the cushion of the positioning device and suffocated. Since that day his parents, Judy and Mark Sage, have worked tirelessly to alert others to this danger. You can read Andy's story in our Family Voices website.

Judy joined the board of Kids In Danger, joined ASTM International to talk to manufacturers and regulators directly, met with CPSC and repeated her heartbreaking story over and over to anyone who would listen.

And now, CPSC and FDA have confirmed what Judy and KID have said all along -- these products are unnecessary and dangerous. In a rare joint press release, the agencies cited 12 deaths in 13 years and the unproven medical claims that the devices prevent SIDS.

“I’m confident that Andy would be with us today smiling if I did not use the sleep positioner,” stated Judy Sage. “My son and daughter would have their brother. While I’m happy that my voice is being heard to save other babies—it is heartbreaking that it took multiple deaths to effect change. I hope today’s action will keep another family from the grief our family has suffered.”

These products are sold to parents who are worried about SIDS -- believing this product will keep their baby safe. But they are unnecessary and not supported by any SIDS organizations or medical professionals. FDA has now said they will require proof of these medical claims or demand manufacturers stop the sales of the products.

“While the safety warning falls short of a ban of the product that KID would like to see,” states Nancy Cowles, KID executive director. “We hope that it is enough to convince manufacturers to stop making this useless and dangerous product.”

KID urges retailers to stop selling the product; parents currently using the product to stop using it; and expectant parents to cross it off their registry -- these products are unnecessary and dangerous.

Sleep positioners are sold to parents who are worried about SIDS -- believing this product will keep their baby safe. But the product is unnecessary and not supported by any SIDS organizations or medical professionals for the prevention of SIDS.

There are many recommendations to lower the chance of SIDS or suffocation. First and foremost place the baby to sleep on a firm mattress with a tightly fitted sheet in a safe (read not recalled, fully functioning, no missing parts) crib -- with nothing in the crib but a baby, placed on his or her back. You can get more safe sleep tips from Kids in Danger at www.KidsInDanger.org or from Sudden Infant Death Services (SIDS) of Illinois at www.sidsillinois.org.

Update: Here is a very helpful handout from FDA on the warning.

Illinois AG calls out JPMA on safe crib issue

JPMA (Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association) is coming to Chicago tomorrow to kick-off their Baby Safety Month activities, focusing on safe sleep. Just one problem says Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan -- most of the millions of recalled drop-side cribs, involved in dozens of deaths, were certified as 'safe' by JPMA. Even now JPMA asserts that as long as your drop-side crib hasn't been recalled and is put together correctly, it is perfectly safe to use. This despite the banning of this design by the voluntary standards organization, ASTM International AND a probable mandatory standard that will also ban the design. Most manufacturers have stopped making cribs with drop-sides and most retailers no longer sell them.

So what are caregivers to do?

First, for more information on drop-side cribs and safety, check out our previous blog post, What's the deal with dropside cribs? It gives common sense answers to help parents decide about which crib to use for their children.

Also, along with their press release, the Illinois Attorney General's office put out a very helpful guide to drop-side crib recalls and safe sleep tips for parents. But note that this is a list of drop-side crib recalls -- many other sleep environments including non-drop-side cribs, play yards and bassinets (also almost all certified by JPMA) have been recalled. Check any children's product you use against the recall list at CPSC.

But JPMA is right on one thing --too many children die in unsafe sleeping environments -- whether that be a recalled crib, a sofa or waterbed, adult beds or any sleeping surface with too much bedding, extra padding or possibilities for entrapment. So check our safe sleep tips (and those from our friends at Sudden Infant Death Services of Illinois) and choose the safest sleeping environment for your baby -- and use it everytime.

Baby Matters Recalls Nap Nanny Recliners Due to Entrapment, Suffocation and Fall Hazards; One Infant Death Reported

The CPSC announced a recall of the Baby Matters Nap Nanny Recliners. 30,000 units were recalled after 22 reports of injury and one infant death. CPSC is investigating a report of a 4-month-old girl from Royal Oak, Mich. who died in a Nap Nanny® that was being used in a crib. According to preliminary reports, the infant was in her harness and found hanging over the side of the product, caught between the Nap Nanny® and the crib bumper. Infants can partially fall or hang over the side of the Nap Nanny® even while the harness is in use. This situation can be worse if the Velcro™ straps, located inside the Nap Nanny® cover are not properly attached to the "D"-rings located on the foam, or if consumers are using the first generation model Nap Nanny® that was sold without "D"-rings.

The Nap Nanny® is a portable recliner designed for sleeping, resting and playing. The recliner includes a foam base with an inclined indentation for the infant to sit in and a fitted fabric cover and a three point harness. The first generation model of the Nap Nanny® can be identified by the absence of "D"-rings in the foam base. In second generation models, the harness system has "D"-rings in the foam base and Velcro™ straps inside the fitted fabric cover.

Consumers with a first generation Nap Nanny® models, without "D"-rings, should stop using the recalled baby recliners immediately and contact the firm to receive an $80 coupon towards the purchase of a new Nap Nanny® with free shipping. Consumers with a second generation Nap Nanny® model, with "D"-rings, should immediately stop using the product until they are able to visit the firm's website to obtain new product instructions and warnings. Consumers will also view an important instructional video to help consumers ensure the harness is properly fastened. Consumers who are unable to view the video or new instructions online, should contact the firm to receive free copies by mail. For more information, contact Baby Matters toll-free at (888) 240-4282 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or visit the firm's website at www.napnanny.com/recall.

We are concerned that Baby Matters is not providing a full refund or replacement for the first generation model that has a safety defect (the coupon is only about 60% of the cost) and are only providing a new warning and instructional video for owners of the more current model, sold for about a year. It is very important not to use this or other similar products such as bouncers in a crib, bassinet or play yard. The safest place for a baby to sleep is in a crib that meets current safety standards -- with nothing else in the crib.

Safe Sleep Poster from CPSC

The CPSC has released a new Safe Sleep Neighborhood Safety Network Poster in English and Spanish. The poster contains important safe sleep tips for babies and warns against the use of sleep positioners as unnecessary and potentially dangerous. This poster will be distributed as a part of Chairman Tenenbaum’s priority Safe Sleep campaign. KID will include this poster in our safe sleep information as well.

Here are the poster's tips:

• Place infants to sleep on their backs
• Use firm, tight-fitting mattress
• Never use extra padding, blankets or pillows under baby
• Remove pillows or thick comforters
• Positioning devices are not necessary and can be deadly
• Regularly check crib for loose, missing or broken parts or slats
• Do not try to fix a broken crib
• Place cribs or playpens away from windows to avoid window covering or fall hazards.
  

Media vs. Real Life--magazines depict unsafe sleep environments

A recent study in Pediatrics found that more than 1/3 of photos in women's magazines depict babies in unsafe sleep positions and that 2/3 of sleep environments depicted are also unsafe. The study was led by SIDS researchers Rachel Moon, MD, a pediatrician, and Brandi Joyner at Children's National Medical Center, Washington, D.C. It analyzed images of sleeping infants in articles and advertisements found in 24 magazines circulated among 20- to 40-year old women. Researchers evaluated whether the baby was sleeping on its side or stomach rather than its back, and whether hazards such as soft bedding were present. According to Dr. Moon, there were "major discrepancies" between what the mainstream media depict and what doctors recommend in order to prevent SIDS.

To reduce the risk of SIDS, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies be placed on their backs while sleeping, on a separate surface from their parents, and without blankets, pillows, or other soft bedding.

The study, titled "Infant Sleep Environments Depicted in Magazines Targeted to Women of Childbearing Age," will appear in the September issue of Pediatrics.