WASHINGTON, D.C. (WJW) – Crib bumpers and inclined sleepers blamed in more than 200 baby deaths will soon be banned.
President Joe Biden signed legislation Monday that prohibits the manufacture or sale of some infant sleep products. Companies have 180 days to comply with the new law.
Infants’ noses and mouths can be covered by a bumper or stuck between the bumper and a crib mattress, which can cause babies to suffocate. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, there were 113 baby deaths involving crib bumpers from 1990 through March 2019.
More than 100 infants have died in inclined sleepers, according to the CPSC.
Ohio U.S. Sen. Rob Portman was one of the sponsors of the bipartisan bill.
Portman and Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth introduced the legislation in April 2021.
“The use of padded crib bumpers poses an unnecessary threat to the health and safety of infants everywhere, there is no reason the sale of these items should continue,” Sen. Portman said in a press release.
The “Safe Sleep for Babies Act of 2021” was endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), Kids in Danger and Consumer Federation of American and Breathable Baby, according to a press release from Portman’s office.
Ohio banned the sale of traditional crib bumpers in 2017.
AAP’s guidance for parents for safe sleep for infants is a firm, flat, clutter-free mattress with a taut sheet, no blankets, pillows, crib bumpers or stuffed animals