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Joyce Davis thought her son Garret was safe when she left him in a popular brand of portable crib.  Thinking the hard cardboard flooring was uncomfortable for the child, the family had purchased a supplementary mattress that was advertised as suitable for that brand of crib.  Davis’ son tragically suffocated when his head was wedged between the outer wall of the crib and the mattress.  Today, as President of Keeping Babies Safe, (www.keepingbabiessafe.org) a national non-profit organization, Davis speaks out about crib safety and the need for consumer safety regulations, so this tragedy need never be repeated.

“When I lost my son, there weren’t any national laws overseeing crib and mattress safety,” says Davis.  Now, we have the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 that will help enforce more stringent policies on manufacturers and recall unsafe cribs from the market.  The important thing for parents to know is that regardless of these new laws, most unsafe cribs have never been recalled.  Knowledge is the best defense against these unsafe cribs and sleeping conditions and that is what Keeping Babies Safe provides to parents and the public at large.” 

In the past two years more than 5 million cribs, bassinets and play yards have been recalled for safety reasons.  This figure is likely to increase as the National Act is currently being interpreted.  The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, including the crib section sponsored by Senator Diane Feinstein, which makes retailers of second-hand cribs responsible for selling safe merchandise, will go a long way to prevent these tragedies.  But laws alone don’t keep infants safe.  Parents cannot rely on legislature to ensure their child’s safety.  Joyce Davis points out that parents must make sure that if they use a new crib, the parts and maintenance are in good order and if they are using a second-hand crib, it conforms to current safety standards.  In addition, safe-sleeping practices should be adhered to.

“Between 2002 to 2004, 32 children died each year because of unsafe cribs,” says Davis. “In 2006, 11,300 infants were injured in cribs and 1,100 injured in play yards and play pens. Most infant injuries or deaths occur in secondhand or hand me-down cribs sold in secondary markets such as thrift stores and resale furniture stores. Many cribs offered by hotels and motels are older models and also unsafe. New cribs meeting the standards established by the Consumer Product Safety Commission are generally considered safe, however, a new crib with loose parts or screws can also be unsafe. The biggest tragedy about deaths or injuries caused by the cribs themselves is that they are completely preventable.”

Keeping Babies Safe, a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization, launched Project Safe Crib to provide education and leadership in keeping babies safe from preventable injuries and deaths associated with unsafe cribs, dangerous infant products and unsafe sleep environments.  Our goals are to generate awareness and raise money to distribute cribs through Project Safe Crib, our program designed to help parents from economically challenged environments obtain safe cribs through human service organizations around the country.  Project Safe Crib purchases safe cribs at an industry discount and offers them to health and human service organizations that have demonstrated a thorough training in safe crib practices.   In 2008, we donated 350 cribs to families nationwide and we will continue to expand that number in 2009.  Your donations are an important part of this process!

Keeping Babies Safe will continue to work as an advocate and information resource for parents to ensure that cribs and sleeping environments for children remain safe and that no one ever has to lose their child because of an unsafe crib.

For more information about crib and sleeping safety, product recalls and current consumer crib safety legislation visit www.keepingbabiessafe.org.  Keeping Babies Safe Toll Free telephone number 877-777-7523.

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