CPSC Reports Of Potential Playpen Hazards

WASHINGTON -- A new report about potential hazards in playpens was released by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Thursday.

The CPSC said that it has received reports of more than 200 babies who have died while in playpens since 1988. 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, the CPSC said. More than 70 percent of the babies who died were reportedly to babies less than 12 months old, and 26 of them occurred in a daycare setting.

Parents use playpens today as places for babies to both sleep and play, the CPSC said. To educate caregivers, CPSC and Mattel, Inc. are launching a "Sleep Safe, Play Safe " campaign Thursday to address the two greatest hazards revealed by the study: adding soft bedding and adding extra mattresses or cushions, the CPSC said.

The CPSC said that for years it has warned about the dangers of soft bedding such as quilts, comforters and pillows in cribs. Soft bedding can reportedly become molded around an infant's face and cause suffocation. As many as one-third of baby deaths attributed to SIDS may be suffocation in soft bedding, the CPSC said.

"Many parents and caregivers know the dangers of soft bedding in cribs," CPSC Chairman Ann Brown said. "This study shows, for the first time, that the same dangers exist when using pillows, quilts and comforters in playpens."

Parents and caregivers should be aware that the same safe sleeping guidelines that they follow for their babies' cribs should be followed in playpens, the CPSC said. Babies should be placed on their back on a firm, flat mattress and do not add 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, the CPSC said.

The CPSC offers the following precautions to prevent deaths or injuries to children in playpens:

Before using a playpen, make sure it has not been recalled. Contact CPSC at (800) 638-2772 or check the recalls section of CPSC's Web site.
Always put a baby down to sleep on his back in a playpen or crib with no soft bedding, such as quilts, comforters and pillows. This can help reduce the risk of SIDS and prevent suffocation.
Use only the mattress provided by the manufacturer. Do not add additional mattresses in playpens. Children can suffocate in the spaces formed between mattresses or from ill-fitting mattresses.
Check that the playpen is in good shape. Using a modified or improperly repaired unit can create hazards.
Make sure the top rails of the units lock into place automatically. More than 1 million older playpens with top rails that had to be manually rotated into a locked position have been recalled.
Do not use playpens with catch points, such as protruding hardware. More than 9 million older units with protruding hardware have been recalled.
If using a mesh-sided playpen, make sure the mesh is less than 1/4 inch in size and that it is attached securely. This will help prevent strangulation.

For more information on playpen safety, check the CPSC's Web site or call (800) 638-2772.