LOS ANGELES (NewsNation Now) —The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is instating new federal safety requirements for infant sleep products like inclined and in-bed sleepers and small bassinets. It comes after specific products were linked to dozens of infant deaths.
While most products covered by this CPSC rule have already been recalled, similar products are still on the market in stores.
There’s been a loophole which has allowed infant sleep products onto the market that have proven dangerous and deadly.
New father Ludovic Seidita is still adapting to losing sleep since welcoming baby Gabriel just two weeks ago.
It’s why products marketed to get babies to sleep are so popular.
Seidita says they do have an inclined sleeper at home, similar to those recalled and linked to the new CPSC rule.
“I was more afraid that he turns on the side by not because of the head, because it’s enough like this, not too much like that,” said Ludovic Seidita.
Too much of an incline has proven deadly with the suffocation of dozens of babies.
The CPSC is urging all parents of babies under five-months-old to stop using incline sleepers and in-bed sleep boxes immediately.
There have been massive recalls in recent years but similar products are still out there.
“We’re giving a year for manufacturers to adapt their products or redesign their products or if they’re going to make a product for next year, they now know they have to meet this safety standard in the middle of next year,” said CPSC Director Joe Martyak.
These sleep products were unregulated because they did not fall into other federal categories. The new rule will limit any incline to 10°, twenty below the level on the millions of units recalled.
“They position babies at an incline of about 30° and this enables a baby’s head to fall forward and the baby doesn’t have neck control or the muscle strength often when sleeping to pick up his or her head and allow the airway room to breathe,” said Consumer Reports Investigative Journalist Rachel Peachman.
It was a Consumer Reports investigation that revealed the dangers and linked the products to over a hundred deaths.
“It’s really tempting to go for a product that offers you relief from sleep deprivation that you’re suffering from. But these products are not the answer, they’re just not worth it to take a chance, even if you think it was save you and give you a little bit of sleep,” said Peachman.
“The best thing to do is to keep the baby on the back, flat surface, nothing else around. No covers, bumpers, no plush toys. That’s the best way for the safety of your child,” added Martyak.
