Senator Carlucci & Assemblymember Paulin Fight to Pass Legislation Banning Crib Bumper Pads

(Albany, NY) – Senator David Carlucci (D-Rockland/Westchester) and Assemblymember Amy Paulin (D-Scarsdale), along with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and First Cradle held a press conference in Albany warning that crib bumper pads could turn cribs into death traps.

Carlucci and Paulin sponsor legislation (S.3788A/A.217A) banning the sale of crib bumper pads in New York State and to end their use in daycare facilities.

“As a parent, it’s our job to protect our children, and I simply cannot imagine how the families are coping who have lost a newborn due to crib bumper pads,” said Senator David Carlucci. “We know these accessories are not safe due to the risk of suffocation or strangulation of a baby and yet they are still marketed to parents as a matching nursery accessory. It’s time we ban their sale in New York State and prevent further tragedies.”

"No parent, relative, or family friend would ever intentionally risk the injury or even death of a newborn, but that's what some have tragically done by purchasing and using crib bumpers," said Assemblymember Amy Paulin. "Pediatricians are very clear that there is much more risk of choking and suffocation by using crib bumpers than there is from head injury if you don't use them. New York needs to join other states that have already banned the sale of non-mesh bumper pads so that we can eliminate confusion about their safety once and for all."

Crib bumper pads are commonly sold by stores as part of crib bedding sets and cover the slats of the crib. Often parents, who do not know about the numerous safety warnings against them, purchase them because they like the way they look in a nursery.

However, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) found crib bumpers have been responsible for 48 infant deaths and 146 injuries to infants from 1985-2012. According to CPSC’s report of the 48 infant deaths, the average age of the child was 4-and-a-half months old. Crib bumpers were found to have caused infants to suffocate because children fell asleep with their mouth or nose near the bumper. Crib bumpers also led to strangulations due to the ties and injuries when infants old enough to stand climbed on the bumpers and fell out of their cribs.

In 2016, CPSC staff found there were 107 fatal incidents and 282 injuries from January 1990 through march 2016 associated with crib bumpers. Despite CPSC calling crib bumpers “deadly clutter,” there has been no federal legislation banning them.

In a more recent study by Pediatrics, unintentional suffocation was found to be the leading cause of injury death among infants less than 1-years-old. Of the cases looked at from 2011-2014, 82 percent were attributable to accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed due to soft bedding.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has been a leader in educating parents and public officials about the dangers of crib bumper pads and strongly recommends that infants sleep on their backs, alone in a crib on a firm mattress with a tight-fitting sheet, without any soft objects or loose bedding.

“Despite more than 60 recorded deaths and serious injuries to infants from crib bumpers parents are still buying them and believe they are safe,” said Elie Ward, Director of Policy & Advocacy for the New York State American Academy of Pediatrics. “Old cultural habits are hard to change. Until New York stops the sale of bumpers and prohibits their use in infant and childcare settings, infants and children will remain in danger in a place, their cribs, where they should be safe. We ask our legislators to join us and pass this bill, which will help New York parents learn how to best create safe sleep environments for their infants and babies.”

Multiple children safety organizations have also recommended parents remove baby bumpers from an infant’s crib, including the CPSC, First Candle/National SIDS Alliance, American Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Institute, National Institutes of Health, Kids In Danger, and Health Canada. 

“Every year 3,600 babies die from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and other sleep-related infant deaths, many of which can be prevented by keeping baby’s sleep environment free of pillows, blankets, stuffed animals and padded bumpers,” said Alison Jacobson, CEO of First Candle, a nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing the rates of SIDS.   “The only safe place for a baby to sleep is in a separate area than mom, dad or a caregiver with a firm, flat surface and a fitted sheet.  First Candle applauds Senator Carlucci and Assemblywoman Paulin for their work in banning crib bumpers and helping get every baby to his or her first birthday.”

“We believe that every infant should sleep in a bare crib with no pillows, cover or bumper pads. Even mildly asphyxiating environments can lead to deaths. The American SIDS Institute supports the ban of crib bumper pads,” said Dr. Betty McEntire, CEO of The American SIDS Institute, a nonprofit organization that researches SIDS and other sleep-related infant deaths.

Ohio and Maryland have passed laws banning the sale of crib bumper pads.