Sen. Hicks files bill aimed at preventing infant suffocation

OKLAHOMA CITY – State Sen. Carri Hicks is hoping Oklahoma will adopt legislation aimed at reducing the risk of infant suffocation or strangulation. Hicks has introduced Senate Bill 1156 which would ban the sale of crib bumpers and bar their use in child care facilities.

“Safe sleep experts at the local, state and federal levels will tell you bumpers are dangerous and can cause suffocation, strangulation and injuries,” Hicks said. “They’re sold as a way of making cribs more attractive and safer, although there’s no evidence of any real safety function—but there is evidence connecting this product to the deaths of dozens of infants.”

A 2016 study published in the Journal of Pediatrics pointed to Consumer Product Safety Commission databases that showed between 1985 and 2012, bumpers were attributed to 48 suffocations. Of those, 67 percent were from the bumper alone rather than clutter, blankets or other items.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) issued a policy statement that same year which stated that because bumper pads have been implicated as a factor contributing to deaths from suffocation, entrapment and strangulation, and because they are not necessary to prevent entrapment with new safety standards for crib slats, crib bumpers are not recommended for infants. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also warns against using crib bumpers, as does the Oklahoma State Health Department.

Hicks’ legislation will be considered when the 2020 legislative session convenes in February.

“The state of New York passed a ban on the sale of crib bumpers just this year, joining Ohio and Maryland as states that have already passed similar legislation,” Hicks said. “I hope Oklahoma will join these states in becoming proactive about this infant safety issue.”