Consumer Reports (CR), the independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, urges you to support the S. 1259, the Safe Cribs Act, and vote to advance the bill to the Senate floor. This bill would help parents and caregivers protect their babies from getting hurt or killed by crib bumper products that are not safe for infant sleep.
S. 1259 would ban crib bumper pads as a hazardous product under section 8 of the Consumer Product Safety Act (15 U.S.C. 2057). Crib bumpers are associated with at least 113 product-related deaths reported to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). CR testified before the House Energy and Commerce Committee in June 2019 in support of the House version of this measure, and now urges your support of S. 1259.
Crib bumpers directly conflict with safe sleep recommendations established by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). These guidelines, developed through a rigorous, multi-year process to evaluate the state of the medical evidence, advise that babies should be placed to bed on a firm, flat surface in their own space, with no extra bedding.
Safe sleep messages should be clear and consistent for parents and caregivers. Based on AAP safe sleep recommendations, additional research we outline below, and the reported infant deaths, crib bumpers are not safe for infant sleep, and they should not be for sale. As long as these products remain on store shelves and online, well-meaning parents and caregivers may unwittingly put countless infants at risk. Today, you have the opportunity to help protect these infants.
Accordingly, we urge you to support S. 1259 and vote to advance the bill to the Senate floor without delay. We look forward to working together to ensure a safe sleep environment for infants and a safe marketplace for all consumers.
For the full letter, click here.