Brown’s Bipartisan Bill With Duckworth, Portman, and Blumenthal to Protect Infants from Deadly “Crib Bumpers” Signed Into Law

WASHINGTON, DC - President Biden signed into law bipartisan legislation sponsored by U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Rob Portman (R-OH) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) yesterday to protect infant lives by banning the sale of padded crib bumpers-which have been proven to pose an unnecessary, deadly risk to sleeping infants. The Safe Cribs Act, which was included in the legislation also banning dangerous inclined sleeper products, will make it unlawful nationwide to manufacture and import crib bumpers, which remain widely sold by retailers despite current recommendations advising parents to keep cribs bare to prevent sudden infant death syndrome. The Senators' legislation will direct the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to enforce a ban on padded crib bumpers nationwide.

"This law will save lives. We've heard for years from parents, physicians, and industry leaders that we need additional safeguards and clearer guidance to help keep babies safe. By enacting the Safe Sleep for Babies Act, we are following Ohio's lead and getting crib bumpers off the market once and for all, and giving parents peace of mind that the products marketed to them are safe," said Brown.

The legislation has been endorsed by American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), Kids in Danger, Consumer Federation of American and Breathable Baby. A 2020 survey conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that many parents falsely believe crib bumpers are safe, mistakenly assume that crib bumpers would have been removed from the market if unsafe and by nearly a five to one margin, expressed support for the view that if crib bumpers were linked to infant deaths, these products should not be sold.

In 2019, Brown joined Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Dick Durbin (D-IL) to introduce the Safe Cribs Act, legislation to protect babies' lives by banning the sale of crib bumpers in the United States.

In 2011, the City of Chicago became the first city to ban the sale of crib bumpers. Maryland and Ohio also banned the sale of these products in 2013 and 2017 respectively, with minor exceptions.