Should Maryland Be The First State To Ban Crib Bumper Pads?

Yesterday morning I was pleased to join Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH) Secretary Dr. Joshua Sharfstein and other key public health leaders as he announced a proposal to ban the sale of crib bumper pads starting in January 2013. If approved following a public comment period, Maryland would become the first state to ban the sale of crib bumper pads.

A 2010 report by the Consumer Product Safety Commission found 28 baby deaths involving bumper pads. These are highly preventable deaths.

As the Secretary noted, this action is not happening in a vacuum. The proposed ban is part of a broader effort to promote safe sleep for infants by encouraging the ABCs: Babies should sleep Alone, on their Backs, and in a Crib.

The proposal is the end result of a thoughtful study by an expert advisory panel.  After conducting several public meetings, hearing from product manufacturers and reviewing the available safety evidence, the panel concluded “infant bumper pads posed a rare, real risk to infants.”

I applaud Dr. Sharfstein for his leadership on this issue, which establishes Maryland as a trailblazer for infant health and safety. In the last year, Maryland and Baltimore City have made tremendous gains in reducing the rate of infant mortality. We don’t yet fully understand the reason for the improvements we are seeing. But I believe the systems and policy changes we’ve supported through the B’more for Healthy Babies campaign are having a significant impact.

This public awareness campaign has educated countless individuals about how to put babies to sleep safely – Alone, on their Backs, in a Crib, no exceptions. The first component – Alone – means just that. We discourage parents from sleeping with their babies. And cribs should be free of all pillows, toys or blankets and bumper padding.

As part of our basic message to parents and caretakers, our home visiting nurses look for _ and routinely discourage _ the use of crib bumpers. We’ve reinforced this message in our print materials and in our educational video, where babies are pictured sleeping Alone, on their Backs and in Cribs with no extra padding.

Baltimore City's current and last two health commissioners.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission is conducting a similar review. The manufacturing of infant cribs is highly regulated to prevent children from strangling. Because their bodies can slip through openings but their heads cannot, parts such as slats, spindles, corner posts and rods cannot be more than 2 and 3/8 inches apart at any point, according to its Website.

The risk of putting babies to sleep in a crib where they could potentially suffocate against or get entrapped in a bumper far outweighs the purported safety benefits. For these reasons, I support Maryland’s efforts to ban crib bumper pads, and I encourage you to educate others about the potential dangers these products can pose.

Healthy City Days To Start Sept. 30th

The Health Department, in partnership with the Mayor’s Office, is focused on making Baltimore a healthier city. One major way we are working toward that goal is through the implementation of Healthy Baltimore 2015. Another way we are making Baltimore a healthier city is through initiatives like Healthy City Days.

Photos by Kevin Kane, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield

Today at the Zeta Center for Healthy and Active Aging, I joined representatives from CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield and the University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore Ravens fullback Vonta Leach, Molly Shattuck and others to announce that beginning September 30^th, we will kickoff Baltimore’s 2^nd annual Healthy City Days. Healthy City Days encompasses eight days of events all over town. The purpose is to get people eating better, exercising more often and focused on prevention and overall wellness.

There will be health fairs with free screenings at University of Maryland, City Hall and several Enoch Pratt library locations. There will also be free screenings at Mondawmin Mall, Department of Social Services locations and many other locations. We’ll even have great family events over the weekend at Port Discovery and other Inner Harbor events.

And during the week there are some great events planned that will get people up and moving. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and I will be walking from City Hall to the Inner Harbor on October 3rd and working out downtown with Monte Sanders on October 4^th. She and I would love for people to step out of their offices for a few minutes and join us at both of these events.

Vonta and Molly led seniors in a dance and stretch routine.

Personally, I am really looking forward to joining Molly Shattuck and Baltimore’s lively seniors in Hampden on October 6^th for a rockin’ dance party.

All you need to do is visit the Healthy City Days Website to see a listing of all these events and more and find one close to you.

It’s my sincere hope that this interactive initiative will engage Baltimore City residents and workers to focus on healthy lifestyle choices and preventive care.

Which Healthy City Days events do you plan to attend?