Are product bans the answer to consumer safety?

Chicago, Illinois became the site of the first city council to pass an ordinance banning the sale of infant crib bumper pads in their city.

Parents have used crib bumpers for years to adorn their child’s cribs.  These bumper pads are designed to keep an infant comfortable should he or she wiggle into the hard wooden or metal side or end rails of the crib. However, the bumpers have actually been named as the culprit in many crib deaths over the years.  The infants can become entangled in the bumpers, or bumper ties holding the pads in place. Being developmentally unable to free themselves, the result can be suffocation or strangulation.

Many parents seem to forget that cribs are not “furniture” in the true sense of the word.  They are not decorative pieces for a child’s room. They are not babysitters or playpens.  Cribs are designed as a safety tool used to keep infants safe while sleeping.  Adding bumpers, quilts, or soft-stuffed toys can defeat the safety function, creating a potential deathbed instead. 

Photo: USAbabyutah

This writer is not convinced that a city, state or federal ban on bumpers is needed, but apparently some consumer safety advocates convinced the Chicago city council that it is. The coucil passed city ordinance #02011-5505, which amends Chapter 7-36 (Toy Safety) of the Chicago Municipal Code to add Section 112 banning the sale or lease of “any crib bumper pad as a separate item, or as an accessory to a crib in the city of Chicago.”  Not only did they ban the sale/lease of such bumpers, but they created a fine of not less than $100, and not more than $500 for each offense. The ordinance is set to take effect 180 days after the official publication in the Municipal Code of Chicago.

Manufacturers who have been working diligently to build a better baby bumper may be confused by this ban. Take for example the winner of the National Parenting Center Seal of Approval.  This manufacturer created an exclusive mesh fabric bumper that uses Air Channel Technology (A.C.T.™) to promote air flow through the bumper to prevent suffocation hazards. The Chicago ban does not specify any exemptions to the ban - so even this new design is apparently included in the no-sale zone.

Photo: One Step Ahead

Educational brochures & posters in pediatrician offices, crib safety information at hospital and private parenting classes, or public media announcements may be a much more effective way to curb the use of crib bumpers. Work with retailers and webstore marketers to stop decorating cribs with unsafe accessories. Many parents take their cues from retailers, so they MUST bear some responsibility to help inform new parents of these dangers. The goal is to educate parents across the USA as to why this is not a safe choice for their child’s crib.  Punishing manufacturers for producing products that parent’s have demanded is, in this writer’s view, not a fair approach to the problem. Education is key.  Inform parents and caregivers, and let the decrease of demand take its course.

Some consumer advocates will shout, “What about those children who will be injured or even die in the meantime!?” To this, a dose of reality may be in order. Be honest – how many of us used bumpers on our children’s cribs?  Come on – hands up now.  We can all be thankful that our children were not one of those involved in a fatal crib incident. We can be smarter going forward. We can tell our grown children about this risk when they become parents.  Consumers must bear some responsibility for purchasing choices.  Parents have a responsibility to keep their children as safe as possible as they grow.  Caregivers have a responsibility to be trained and informed about current safety issues, before they accept responsibility to care for someone else’s children.

Regulation after regulation does not train better parents or caregivers.  It makes them believe that it is the government’s responsibility to keep their children safe.