Baby Safety Month to Focus on 5 Things To Do Before Bringing Baby Home
MT. LAUREL, N.J., Sept. 3, 2024 -- September is JPMA Baby Safety Month™, an annual time to focus on keeping infants and children safe. Baby Safety Month was established by the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) more than four decades ago to help parents safely navigate early childhood.
"At JPMA, we're passionate about keeping babies and young children safe," said Lisa Trofe, executive director of JPMA. "Many times, that means reaching out to parents and caregivers to ensure they have the information they need to make safe choices for their children. As part of Baby Safety Month this year, we're promoting five things every parent should do before bringing baby home. Throughout September, we'll highlight expert-approved, easy-to-follow guidance to keep babies safe. The more people we have who champion baby safety, the more childhood injuries and deaths we can prevent."
The five things JPMA recommends doing before bringing a baby home—and the reasons why—are:
Create a safe sleep environment.
Tragically, nearly 3,500 infants die each year in the U.S. from sleep-related deaths according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Click here for expert-approved safe sleep tips.
Create a safe play environment.
In the U.S., nearly 5.6 million children are treated for injuries in emergency departments every year according to Safe Kids Worldwide. These are often serious injuries that can affect them for a lifetime. For tips on general baby safety and babyproofing, click here.
Practice car seat safety during each and every ride.
Each day in the U.S., 429 children are injured and three are killed in car crashes according to NHTSA. Car seats can reduce the risk of crash injuries overall and can reduce the risk of fatalities by as much as 71 percent. However, mistakes in using car seats according to the manufacturer instructions can compromise the protection they offer. Click here for car seat resources or view car seat videos here.
Register each and every new baby product.
Registering your baby products ensures you receive important safety alerts directly from the manufacturer. The information provided on product registration cards will not be used by the manufacturer for any reason other than a safety alert regarding the product. More information on registering your baby products can be found here.
Check for product recalls prior to buying or using any secondhand baby or children's products.
An April 2024 survey by What to Expect showed that 65 percent of Gen Z parents and 59 percent of Millennial parents are buying more secondhand products due to inflation. Recalled or otherwise compromised products can pose serious risks, so always check the appropriate Federal regulator website to ensure safety — nhtsa.gov/recalls for car seats and cpsc.gov/recalls for other baby and children's products. The recommendation to check for recalls also applies to products that were used for a previous baby.
JPMA would like to thank our Baby Safety Month Ambassadors and partners for supporting this important initiative. For more information about Baby Safety Month and more baby safety tips, visit BabySafetyMonth.org or follow JPMA Cares Parents on social media.
About JPMA Baby Safety Month™
JPMA Baby Safety Month started in 1983 when JPMA initiated "Expectant Mother's Day." In 1986, it was extended to a week-long celebration until 1991, when JPMA sponsored the first "Baby Safety Awareness Month." Since then, every September has been designated as JPMA Baby Safety Month.
About JPMA
The
Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) is the voice of the industry on quality and safety for baby and children's products in North America . We work to advance the interests of manufacturers, parents, children, and the industry at large by advocating for safety through product certification programs and legislative and regulatory involvement. Our members uphold The JPMA Promise, which includes our industry's Core Values. We support our broad and diverse membership through member-only programming and industry promotion. Additionally, we act as a comprehensive source for baby product information, education, and philanthropy through our charitable organization, JPMA Cares. Established in 1962, JPMA has spent more than 60 years helping protect future generations by advancing the availability and safety of products used to care for babies and young children. Learn more at jpma.org.
