Safe Sleep for Babies Act: New law bans crib bumpers, inclined sleepers for babies

(Arizona’s Family/Gray News) - A new law will soon prohibit the sale of certain types of infant sleep products that have been linked to the death of hundreds of babies in the U.S.

On Monday, President Joe Biden signed the Safe Sleep for Babies Act. It prohibits manufacturers and retailers from making or selling padded crib bumpers and inclined sleepers because of the risk of suffocation, as reported by Arizona’s Family.

“This declares those two products, in particular, a hazardous substance. In other words, they cannot be sold, either new or used, and it doesn’t matter when they were manufactured. They are simply not to be sold anymore,” said Nancy Cowles, executive director of Kids in Danger.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, infants should sleep on their backs in a crib with nothing in the crib.

“It’s a hard enough message to get across to families. Having these unsafe products in the marketplace has made it even harder and led to deaths, and that’s what we’re hoping to stop with this legislation,” Cowles said.

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, between 1990 and 2019, there were 113 reported deaths involving crib bumpers, and dozens of infant deaths have been linked to inclined sleeping products. Overall, the Infant sleep products reportedly have been linked to the deaths of more than 200 babies in the U.S.

Sara Thompson lost her 15-week-old baby, Alexander, in 2011 in a now-recalled Fisher-Price Rock ‘n Play Sleeper.

“After years of perseverance and many tears, the Safe Sleep for Babies Act has finally been signed into law,” Thompson shared in a statement. “Hopefully, this will help lower the number of preventable infant deaths.”

The Safe Sleep for Babies Act will go into effect in six months, giving retailers and manufacturers time to comply. Some retailers, including Target and Walmart, have already stopped selling padded crib bumpers.

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