Illinois lawmakers are considering a ban on the bumper pads that line baby cribs. Backers of the legislation says the pads have suffocated and strangled infants.Giovan Cullotta lost his daughter to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. He testified about the dangers of crib pads at an Illinois House committee the day after the fifth anniversary of her death. Cullotta says parents typically use the pads to keep kids from bumping their heads or getting their limbs tangled. Cullotta says as a parent who misses their child every single day ... he'd ratther go kiss my kid with their bumped head, than to go visit a cemetery.
Members of the committee were sympathetic. But baby products are big business, and there is opposition.
Breathable Baby sells a mesh liner that's meant to be a safe alternative to the pads. The company is concerned the proposed ban could outlaw its product as well. The company says with no alternative on store shelves, unsuspecting parents would be forced into using dangerous hand-me-down pads. Some legislators are concerned the proposal could trap unsuspecting individuals -- like someone selling a pad at a garage sale.
But supporters of the ban are not backing down. They say the pads are so dangerous ... no one should be using or selling them. Chicago approved a similar ban that goes into effect this spring.
The legislation isHB4638
