Once thought to protect babies from injury, bumper pads on cribs may lead to suffocation, according to new guidelines for sleeping babies released by the American Academy of Pediatrics. They caution against lining cribs with the protective cushion, saying that there is no evidence that bumper pads prevent injuries. The guidelines also recommend soft objects and loose bedding, such as quilts and pillows, not be kept in cribs and that babies should sleep on a firm surface and should sleep in the same room as parents, but not in the same bed. In addition, the guidelines state that infants should not regularly have routine sleep time in sitting devices such as car seats and strollers and should not sleep in a bed where they might suffocate. A series of 18 recommendations from the academy are intended to help guide parents, health care providers, and others who care for infants following an increase in sleep- related deaths over the last few years. The expanded recommendations aim to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome, suffocation, entrapment, and asphyxia.
