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| |    Bedding in Playpens: What Every Parent Should Know by Consumer Product Safety Commission The following information originally was published by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) in a July 12, 2001, bulletin. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recently released a report that all parents should know about. It dealt with the issue of infant deaths in playpens. Since 1988, CPSC has reports of more than 200 babies who died while in playpens. In almost 100 of these deaths, soft bedding or improper or extra mattresses were present in the playpen and the babies died of suffocation or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). More than 70 percent of these deaths were in babies less than 12 months old. Twenty-six of the playpen deaths occurred in a daycare setting. Over the years, playpens, portable cribs and play yards have evolved into virtually identical products. Parents use playpens today as places for babies to both sleep and play. To educate caregivers, CPSC and Mattel, Inc. recently launched a "Sleep Safe, Play Safe " campaign to address the two greatest hazards revealed by the study: 1) adding soft bedding and 2) adding extra mattresses or cushions. For years, the Consumer Products Safety Commission has warned about the dangers of soft bedding such as quilts, comforters and pillows in cribs. Soft bedding can become molded around an infant's face and cause suffocation. As many as one-third of baby deaths attributed to SIDS, in fact, may be suffocation in soft bedding. According to CPSC Chairman Ann Brown, "Many parents and caregivers know the dangers of soft bedding in cribs. This study shows, for the first time, that the same dangers exist when using pillows, quilts, and comforters in playpens." The findings emphasize the need for caregivers to be aware that the same safe sleeping guidelines that they follow for their babies' cribs should be followed in these playpens. That means placing baby on his back on a firm, flat mattress and not adding extra mattresses or any soft bedding, such as pillows, quilts, or comforters. Other hazards identified in the study were playpens that were in poor condition, had broken or protruding hardware or had side rails that collapsed creating an entrapment hazard. Ensuring your child's safety To prevent deaths or injuries to children in playpens, the CPSC recommends parents and caregivers should take these precautions:
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