Bedding in Cribs Linked to Infant Deaths

Hoping to decrease the number of deaths linked to sudden infant death syndrome, consumer and health groups are asking parents to dress their babies in warm nightclothes instead of wrapping them in quilts, sheepskins and blankets.

The groups plan to release their recommendations at a news conference today, The Times has learned.

Soft bedding in cribs may be a major contributor to about 900 baby deaths linked to SIDS, the unexplained phenomenon responsible for 3,000 deaths annually, officials said Wednesday.

Until now, the government had warned parents to lay babies on their back to avoid SIDS. But the new findings are expected to bring about the next major change in baby care by spawning a nationwide campaign to empty cribs of all bedding, such as comforters and pillows, and stuffed toys, officials at the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said.

Studies from the group, along with those of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, show that a baby is at an increased risk of dying if the head is covered by blankets and pillows, which can mold to the face and suffocate the infant.

But some officials have also said that babies are likely to move in their sleep and still would be in danger of suffocation, even if toys and bedding are placed away from them.

“We’re talking about a matter of life and death,” said Ann Brown, chairwoman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. “Parents should take everything out of the crib, even that teddy bear. Get it out of there. It may seem counterintuitive, but it will save lives.”

Officials and health care providers said that they have little concern about parents resisting the change.

“It’s the most horrible tragedy for parents to find their baby dead because of SIDS,” said Ron Medford of the product safety commission. “Parents will do anything they can to prevent it.”

This is not the first time parents have had to relearn methods of baby care. After several studies in the late 1980s, doctors and health care providers warned parents to put babies to bed only on their back because infants are more likely to suffocate on their stomach.

Since this recommendation, SIDS deaths have decreased by half, from 6,000 in 1992 to 3,000 in 1997, the last year for which statistics are available.

And health care providers are hoping that the number of deaths will decrease again after parents learn the dangers of putting bedding in cribs.

Pediatricians, hospitals and state agencies all will take part in the push to encourage parents to remove blankets from a baby’s crib. Information will be available in English and Spanish.

Officials said that heavy pajamas should be enough to keep babies warm, but if parents insist on using blankets, the groups have suggestions to ensure bed safety. For example, parents could cover a baby with a thin blanket up to the chest and then secure the blanket by tucking it under the crib mattress.

Further information on crib safety can be obtained from the Consumer Protection Safety Commission’s Web site, www.cpsc.gov or through its hotline at 1-800-638-2772.