When my daughters were babies, I would sing, swaddle and shush them before I put them in their crib. I considered it a win if they slept through the night. But a recent study by the University of Texas at Austin means parents have more to worry about. The study of foam from 20 old and new crib mattresses found that mattresses release up to 30 different types of volatile organic compounds, also known as VOCs, among them, phenol, a strong skin and respiratory irritant. The study detected other chemicals, including linalool and limonene, known fragrance allergens that can cause skin allergies. Repeated exposure over time increases the chances of an allergic reaction. The Texas researchers discovered that the sleeping zone of the crib gave off the most intense VOC fumes. New crib mattresses released four times as much as old cribs. These results are especially troubling because infants’ respiratory systems are fragile, many babies spend much of their first year of life in a crib, and body heat intensifies emissions.
Which mattresses are the worst? The study doesn’t name crib mattress brands or manufacturers. But you can find some answers elsewhere. A report called “Flame Retardants Finally Fade,” released last year by Clean and Healthy New York, a non-profit environmental health group, supplies names of crib mattress brands that use wool or other coatings to limit fumes and that don’t use persistent flame retardant chemicals. So how is it legal for crib mattresses and nap mats to release potentially harmful chemicals? Blame the broken federal toxics law -- the Toxic Substances Control Act, enacted in 1976 and never updated. This weak law assumes chemicals on the market are safe. Organizations like EWG, the Center for Environmental Health, Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families and academic researchers have to show a chemical is unsafe before it is taken off the market. The burden of proof is so difficult to meet that theadministration of President George H.W. Bush couldn’t ban asbestos, a known carcinogen.
This backwards system makes it easy for thoughtless manufacturers to peddle toxic baby mattresses. Despite bipartisan interest in reforming the federal toxics law, the two most recent legislative drafts in Congress wouldn’t help much. Earlier this month, Rep. John Shimkus (R-Pa.) circulated a draft of a bill we call “More Toxic Chemicals in Commerce” bill. This proposal would actually make it easier for toxic chemicals to flood the market. Our detailed analysis is here. On the Senate side, Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) is sponsoring a proposal called the Chemical Safety Improvement Act. It’s actually worse than the 1976 law. We’ve also done detailed analysis here. We need real change, like the reform outlined in the Safe Chemicals Act championed by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.). This bill would make sure that chemicals are proven safe for children before they go on the market. So what do we do while we’re waiting for Congress to act? Here are five steps you can take:
1. Air out your crib mattress or use a recycled crib mattress, but don’t hang onto a crib mattress made before 2009 because it may contain toxic phthalates. Don’t use a crib mattress made in China. Some contain banned flame retardants. Older mattresses can harbor mold. 2. Buy organic wool mattresses if your budget allows. They are often expensive. 3. Look for certifications by Green Guard or Oeko-Tek. They test mattresses for chemicals that release fumes. 4. Tell your member of Congress to support the Safe Chemicals Act. Any one of these steps can help us all sleep better at night.Most of you feel like you’re never going to get your baby to sleep in a crib. Which is probably OK as most cribs are all that aren’t safe anyway. That’s right, I said it. And while the recent kickup about how co-sleeping is a SIDS risk is putting all the emphasis on the hazards of adult beds, there’s plenty of safety hazards in cribs too.
As part of my 4 year old’s birthday shenanigans we moved him from his crib into a big boy bed. So I took the opportunity to take a few pictures of his crib before we dismantled it for good (*sniff*). And I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to take pictures of what a safe crib environment looks like. And I had to make my own since it’s all but impossible to find pictures of one elsewhere. The world is full of smart caring parents putting unsafe things in their baby’s cribs or putting them down to sleep on their tummies. Most of them don’t even realize it’s a problem as the world is also full of pictures modeling an unsafe sleep environments. A Pediatrics study looked at magazine photos of sleeping babies finding that only 36% of them modeled safe sleep environments consistent with the AAP. In the AAP study, 64% of photos of babies in a crib showed them sleeping face down. And Pinterest is like the rogues gallery of unsafe crib environments. Even the baby cakes on Pinterest model unsafe sleep for babies.
Edible cake babies are creepy. As somebody who blogs about kids and sleep I try to make sure I only use photos that model safe sleep habits. Sadly this makes getting cool pictures almost impossible. Because almost everything you find on stock photography sites features cribs with potential SIDS hazards in them. To demonstrate I’ve pulled some pictures from popular stock photography sites. No I didn’t dig into the bowels of search results to find these. These are all from page #1 people. So it’s hard to know that there is a problem with your crib setup when the world is full of pictures modeling unsafe sleep. According to the AAP Safe Sleep position your crib should be safe, dark, and dull. No blankets or pillows. No bumpers unless they’re the thin “breathable” kind. Nothing within in reach – no electrical outlets, cords, window blinds, mobiles, etc. It looks like this (baby not pictured). To be clear what it looked like when my 3 year old was sleeping in it was more like this.
Which is totally fine when they’re 3. Not so much when they’re babies. Look, I get that decorating baby rooms is really fun. And honestly it’s the last decorating you’ll get to do until they’re 10 because it’s almost impossible to fix up your house when there are small children living in it. But let’s keep the emphasis on decorating around the crib, instead of in the crib. In closing I wanted to share a few personal pet peeves when it comes to cribs, sleep, and safety. Stop with the bumpers. And for the love of everything holy, stop pinning pictures of them on Pinterest. I don’t care how great your baby sleeps on his tummy. Never put your baby down to sleep on his tummy. Don’t write me asking if it’s OK. Don’t put your newborn to sleep on their tummy. (Once they flip over on their own you can leave them in whatever position they have moved themselves into.) Not a safety issue but if it lights up or makes music you probably don’t want it in the crib.