Safety of bumper pads

Article Outline

• Copyright

As the Back to Sleep program has effectively decreased the incidence of SIDS, the residual causes of accidental deaths in infancy become more apparent. The recent discussions about the characteristics of bedding material, bed sharing and associations with smoking are examples of the scrutiny given to accidental deaths. In this issue of The Journal, Thach et al identify bumper pads used in cribs as another source of risk for injury and accidental death for infants. Their conclusions are based on the databases of the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, which depend on what gets reported. Thus, there is neither an accurate numerator for the actual number of attributable injuries and deaths nor a denominator about frequency of use of bumper pads. Nevertheless, the probably low estimates do raise significant concerns that need to be recognized.