The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has released “Safe Sleep for Babies,” a new crib safety video aimed at helping all new parents avoid suffocation, strangulation and entrapment risks in the sleep environment.

CPSC is collaborating with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), Keeping Babies Safe,  NewYork-Presbyterian/Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital, and journalist and mom Joan Lunden to educate new and expectant parents and caregivers on crib safety. The video demonstrates how to keep babies safe and sound in cribs, bassinets and play yards.

This education effort is part of CPSC’s Safe Sleep Initiative, a multi-pronged effort aimed at reducing deaths and injuries associated with unsafe sleep environments. In addition to this education effort, CPSC’s Safe Sleep Initiative includes the development of new crib standards, warnings about drop-side cribs, sleep positioners, and infant slings, and the recall of millions of cribs in the past five years.

CPSC is aware of about 30 crib deaths and hundreds of injuries. Cribs are a leading cause of nursery product-related deaths. About one-third of the deaths result from structural failures of the crib from loose, missing, or detached hardware. The majority of deaths in cribs are attributed to the presence of extra bedding in the crib, such as pillows and comforters.

Moderated by Joan Lunden, CPSC is distributing this “Safe Sleep” video online and through its network of hospitals nationwide. In order to create a safe sleep environment for infants, the video urges parents and caregivers to follow these crib safety tips:

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

Resources

The new video and other crib safety information can be found at www.keepingbabiessafe.org.
For further information, call Keeping Babies Safe, 908-581-8699