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Watch Out for Phony SIDS Claims

April 8, 2005

• Fan May Reduce SIDS Risk • Serotonin Imbalance May Contribute To SIDS • Prenatal Smoking Linked To SIDS Risk • Hearing Test May Predict Sudden Infant Death Syndrome • Sudden Death in Very Young Babies Linked to Sitting Position • Protein May Be Linked To SIDS Deaths • Pacifiers May Reduce SIDS Risk • Brainstem Abnormality Linked to SIDS • Parents Alerted to Winter SIDS Risk • Pediatricians Revise SIDS Prevention Recommendations • Tobacco Industry Smokescreen Obscured Links Between Second-Hand Smoke and SIDS • Hotel Safety Drive Opens • 1999 Recommendations • Watch Out for False Claims

WASHINGTON, March 16, 2000 -- The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is warning against using baby mattresses and mattress pads that encourage the potentially deadly practice of placing babies to sleep on their stomachs.

The products claim to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). But

CPSC said that despite the claims, it is not aware of any evidence that babies can safely be placed to sleep on their stomachs on these products, or that using the products will reduce the risk of SIDS. Parents and caregivers should never put babies to sleep on their stomachs, whether on these products or any others, the agency said..

The following products make the claims through their advertising and marketing, including their instructions and packaging. Due to the efforts of CPSC, these firms have stopped manufacturing and distributing the products. CPSC also has requested that retailers stop selling the products and remove them from store shelves immediately.

According to CPSC, the risk of SIDS is significantly reduced by placing babies to sleep on their backs in a crib that meets current safety standards and has a firm, tight-fitting mattress and no soft bedding.

There are about 3,000 SIDS deaths per year -- a reduction of about 38 percent in the 5 years following the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation that babies be placed to sleep on their backs.

The four products involved in CPSC's action have been sold for about $30 to $100 in baby, drug and discount department stores; in catalogs; and on the Internet, including the following web sites:

• www.sidsprevent.com,

• www.kidsafeprod.com and

• www.flashmall.com.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is reviewing the products and their claims.

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