MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BreathableBaby is changing the descriptive name of their flagship product from a breathable mesh crib “bumper” to a breathable mesh crib “liner” to more accurately convey the true nature of their product and to distinguish it from traditional bumpers that consumers should avoid due to the risk of suffocation.
“Our Breathable Mesh Crib Liner is not made from padding material or a roll of stuffed fabric and it’s not designed to cushion a crib’s inner sides. It is designed to keep babies’ arms and legs from getting stuck in the crib slats without suffocation, entrapment and strangulation risks, which are associated with traditional crib bumpers,” said BreathableBaby CEO, Marc Grossfield.
The use of traditional bumpers in cribs has been correctly questioned because they pose a suffocation risk. BreathableBaby was founded by parents, Dale and Susan Waters, after being told by their pediatrician that traditional bumpers were dangerous. They searched but could not find a safe solution for their daughter Sierra’s crib. As a result, the Waters’ invented a line of breathable products to help provide safer sleep for babies.
Susan Waters, BreathableBaby co-founder, said, “Our daughter Sierra was very active in the crib and kept getting her arms and legs caught in the crib slats. She would cry night after night. Sierra wasn’t getting any sleep and neither were Dale or I. But we refused to use a bumper because our doctor told us that it was too dangerous and we were afraid she might suffocate. That’s when we decided to create a safer alternative and the Breathable Mesh Crib Bumper (now ‘Liner’) was born.”
The BreathableBaby technology that reduces the risk of suffocation is based on simple physics. The construction of the tiny fibers that make up BreathableBaby’s spacer-mesh fabric will not allow an airtight seal to be created when it’s compressed, making it virtually impossible for a baby to suffocate. BreathableBaby calls this feature Air Channel Technology™ (A.C.T.™). “The ability of air to move through the Breathable Mesh Crib Liner is obvious because you can see and breathe through the fabric," says Peter Raynor, Ph.D., a public health professor. "More importantly, the Breathable Mesh Crib Liner permits airflow even when it is compressed. Many bumper and bedding fabrics restrict airflow when compressed, thereby increasing the risk of suffocation for an infant,” added Professor Raynor. The best way to understand A.C.T. technology is through personal experience. BreathableBaby makes A.C.T. kits available to the public – submit a request providing full name, street address, city, state and zip code to: customercare@BreathableBaby.com and BreathableBaby will send you an A.C.T. kit at no charge.
According to an Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics article1 there were over 151,000 crib injuries treated in emergency rooms between 1990 and 2008; and there were 2,680 non-falling crib injuries per year in the U.S. among children under two years old during the same eighteen year period. However, this study accounts for injuries treated only in emergency rooms, and does not include injuries treated in the offices of pediatricians and orthopedic surgeons, so the number of actual injuries may be much higher. A story aired in August on the local Fox News affiliate in the Twin Cities about a girl who got her foot caught in the crib slats. It killed the nerves in her foot. Her foot became deformed and caused many physical and social problems for her. Fortunately, she met a highly skilled orthopedic surgeon at Gillette Children’s Hospital in St. Paul who completely reconstructed her foot.
“The issue goes beyond serious injuries and their prevention – parents also want to use crib bumpers to prevent babies from crying and the sleep deprivation that results from it. When babies become active they roll around and stretch out in the crib, often times getting their arms and legs caught in the crib slats and naturally they cry. Based on emails and conversations with parents who have contacted us, we have heard overwhelming feedback that crying and sleep deprivation among parents and their babies is reduced by using our Breathable Mesh Crib Liner because babies don’t get their arms and legs stuck in the crib slats,” said Susan Waters, BreathableBaby co-founder.
BreathableBaby CEO, Marc Grossfield added, “Recently we had a booth at the New Parents Expo in New York City. Our booth was located next to the education area where there were guest speakers throughout the day. While most of the speakers had limited attendance, there was standing room only for Harvey Karp M.D., FAAP, author of The Happiest Baby on the Block: The New Way to Calm Crying and Help Your Baby Sleep Longer. Apparently crying babies, and sleep deprivation among babies and parents is a widespread problem.”
There are several articles and studies accessible online about sleep deprivation and their effects on babies and parents. “Parents can help prevent crib slat injuries and sleep deprivation caused by babies crying from getting stuck in crib slats without the worries associated with traditional crib bumpers. Our Breathable Mesh Crib Liners are a simple and safe solution to a common everyday problem for about $30 and gives parents peace of mind,” said Dale Waters, BreathableBaby co-founder.
BreathableBaby products are available nationwide from retail and online merchandisers in the U.S. and Canada. Visit www.breathablebaby.com for more product information and a list of retailers.
About BreathableBaby®
BreathableBaby is dedicated to
developing breathable innovations that address parents’ concerns for
baby’s safety inside the crib. The recipient of numerous awards for
creative innovations in making the crib environment safer for babies,
the company began out of a need in the market for products that were
safer and competitively priced. BreathableBaby’s products are
patent-protected.
1 Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics: “Injuries Associated With Cribs, Playpens, and Bassinets Among Young Children in the US, 1990-2008” by Yeh, Rochette, McKenzie and Smith, February 17, 2011. http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/127/3/479.full?maxtoshow=&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=cribs&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&sortspec=relevance&resourcetype=HWCIT
2 Harvey Karp M.D., FAAP has not reviewed or endorsed BreathableBaby’s products.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50052234&lang=en