Sleep Safety for Your Child
Ever since the ban on drop side cribs, safety standards for children’s sleep areas are being reconsidered and examined. Although drop side cribs are being phased out by retailers and daycare centers, this type of baby furniture is not the only hazard for a young child.
The Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) decided to revisit a study done by Dr. Bradley Thatch from 1995 to 2008 regarding crib bumpers. Although the CPSC dismissed the study a few years ago, the results of 27 suffocation deaths are now being reconsidered and examined closer.
Even though examining crib bumpers is in early stages, the drop side crib ban resulted in the CPSC making a list of suggestions through the “Safe Sleep” campaign that started after the Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act of 2008. No drop side cribs, as explained in the New York Times piece, is mandatory, and sleep positioners and baby monitor cords should be used with discretion. New regulations for bassinets and toddler beds are being developed currently.
Although positioners, pillows, and bumpers are questionable inside a crib, where and how a baby is placed for sleeping are additional safety considerations. An article from The Times Herald from Norristown, Penn., recommends that a new baby not share the same bed with parents and that a baby not be put to sleep on a soft surface such as a pillow or waterbed. When a small child is with one or more parents in a bed, an adult-sized person can roll over and smother the baby or small child. Even though cribs are the most common sleeping place for babies, the “family bed” or sleep-sharing theory recommends babies sleep with parents, and families too poor to afford a crib may place the child in the same bed with adults. Although sleep-sharing theories claim this is not physically or emotionally harmful for a child, a small child or baby is put at risk when an adult-sized person sleeps in the same bed.
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4 Comments on Sleep Safety for Your Child
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Summer Infant Baby Monitors Recalled | on
Tue, 15th Feb 2011 7:31 pm
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Recall of 1.7 Million Summer Infant Baby Monitors | babybloginformation.com on
Tue, 15th Feb 2011 8:08 pm
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Large Baby Sleep Products Recall Prompts Concerns from Parents | on
Tue, 22nd Feb 2011 3:29 pm
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Sleeping With Your Baby: Just How Dangerous? | GotoBabyGifts on
Sat, 21st Jan 2012 5:40 pm
[...] week, we discussed creating a safe sleeping area for your child and mentioned recent studies about hazards from crib bumpers and baby monitors, as [...]
[...] recall and CPSC deciding to reexamine certain baby sleeping items, what is the best approach for creating a safe crib area for your baby? Aside from not using a drop side crib, here are some factors to consider: • Remove [...]
[...] of this recent surge in baby product recalls – in addition to the CPSC investigation of crib bumpers — parents are beginning to feel uncertain about purchasing baby products or accepting [...]
[...] supposed benefits range from synchronized sleeping schedules to ease of breastfeeding, the CPSC advises against it, claiming it poses too great of a death factor to [...]
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