Crib Sheet Safety Awareness Day – July 25

July 25^th  is a tough day for one of our wonderful  customers – it is the anniversary of the death of her baby due to entrapment in a crib sheet.   Isaac was two days short of his 6-month birthday when he passed away.  In his short life he had learned, among so many other things,  to roll over, crawl, hold his bottle, and open up for the “airplane” delivery of pureed fruit, and he lit up at the sight of his brother.  His parents were more than attentive; his mom is a nurse and certified to teach CPR.   Isaac died when his crib sheet popped off the mattress, and he became entrapped in it (his mom requested that we let you know that the sheet did fit the mattress securely but he was able to move and squirm and dislodge it).   July 25 is his “angel-versary” which his family honors by performing Random Acts of Kindness in an effort to “make people smile as Isaac often did”.  Isaac’s family have been crusaders for crib sheet safety since his death, putting up bill boards, talking to the media, and even insisting to ToysRUs management that the store carry our QuickZip® Sheet.   This year QuickZip is joining in the effort by  launching a crib sheet safety awareness campaign in Isaac’s  memory.   Each month on the 25^th, we will ask  you to tell someone about crib safety.  We have posted safety information in blogs on our website and will be sending out bookmarks with orders at www.quickzipsheet.com  that provide sleep safety basics and links for further information.  Our goal is to spread the word about safe sleep practices and crib sheet safety throughout our community and expand that reach through our social networks.  

A little more information- The issue of entanglement and suffocation has been addressed by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) in Bulletin 5139: 

 “Sheets in cribs or beds can sometimes be hazardous to babies.

To prevent tragedies, parents and caretakers can take the following precautions to ensure a safer sleeping environment for their young children.

• Make sure crib sheets fit snugly on a crib mattress and overlap the mattress so it cannot be dislodged by pulling on the corner of the sheet.
• Never use an adult sheet on a crib mattress; it can come loose and present an entanglement hazard to young children.
• Place a baby on his/her back on a firm, tight-fitting mattress in a crib meeting current safety standards.
• Remove pillows, quilts, comforters and sheepskins from the crib.”

 CPSC and ASTM Standard F1917-08 require warning labels on all crib sheets that state: 

Prevent suffocation or entanglement.  Never use crib sheet unless it fits securely on crib mattress.

QuickZip® Sheets were conceived with convenience in mind, but QuickZip goes beyond  – entrapment and strangulation hazards.  Our sheet design completely encloses the mattress so there are no corners to pop off.  We also created PortaBaby® Play Yard sheets with the same benefit in mind.  Crib sheets are only one component of the larger issue of child safety related to cribs, and we encourage you to educate yourself, friends and family – please help us spread the word.