Keeping Baby Safe: Follow These Tips to Lower Sleep Risks

It’s always a good time to check your baby’s sleep space.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has released its annual report on the topic, showing that risks associated with nursery products continue to be high. More than 160 babies die each year related to nursery products, including in unsafe sleep environments.

But the CPSC offered some tips for infant sleep safety.

Parents and caregivers should only put their babies to sleep in products meant for safe sleep, including bassinets, cribs and play yards.

If a baby falls asleep in another place, move that baby to a crib, bassinet or play yard.

Reduce suffocation hazards, such as soft bedding, including blankets, pillows and stuffed toys, the CPSC urges.

“It is important for families to remember that the ways many adults sleep are not safe for young children,” CPSC Chair Alex Hoehn-Saric said in a commission news release. “CPSC’s message on safe sleep is simple: ‘bare is best,’ which means a firm, flat surface in a crib, bassinet or play yard, without blankets, pillows or other items. If your baby falls asleep in an inclined product, move them to their crib, bassinet or play yard.”

In 2022 alone, an estimated 59,500 children under age 5 were treated at emergency departments with injuries associated with nursery products, the report showed.

You can check the CPSC’s website for recalls and also sign up to receive recall notifications. Always check for recalls when you buy something, including on secondhand products.

Source: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), news release, Sept. 21, 2023

For more information on child health, check out these additional resources:

Newborn Screening: What It Is, What It Covers and Why It’s Important

Aggression in Kids: What Every Parent Needs to Know

Unexplained Vomiting in a Child: A Doctor Offers Guidance

What Is Croup? Its Symptoms and Treatment