Tribune report linking crib bumpers to baby deaths prompts agency to reexamine product’s safety

Crib bumpers are the last thing the Maxwells worried about in taking care of their infant son. In fact, they bought the crib bumpers to prevent Preston from getting hurt.

This Chicago Tribune story recounts the day the Maxwells found their infant son, not breathing, in his crib -- his face between the mattress and the bumper pad.

FOR THE RECORD:
Crib safety: An earlier version of this post gave an incorrect name for the school that did a 2007 study on the safety of crib bumpers. It is Washington University in St. Louis.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has now decided to reexamine the safety of crib bumpers. The story states: “The Tribune found that while the safety commission acknowledged it has gotten more than two dozen reports of infant deaths associated with bumpers in the past two decades, there could be more deaths that the agency dismissed or did not fully investigate.”

The newspaper isn’t the only one voicing such concerns. This 2007 study from the Washington University in St. Louis concluded that accidental deaths to infants far outweigh the possible benefits of crib bumpers.