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Cribs for KidsA Special Project of
Even though the number of babies dying of sudden infant death has declined since the advent of the Back to Sleep campaign in 1993, over 4000 babies in the United States continue to die every year from sudden infant death. Many of these babies did not have a safe place to sleep. Their cribs were either old and not fit for use, or they had no cribs and were sleeping on a couch or an adult bed. Accidental suffocation is the leading cause of accidental injury death in infants in the United States. We have worked hard to ensure that all babies have safe car seats. Now we need to ensure that every baby has a safe place to sleep. "Cribs for Kids" provides needy families with the most basic of needs for their babies: cribs to help prevent unnecessary and tragic deaths. Many families with extremely limited income and little or no extended family support make do with older, unsafe cribs or no cribs at all. Some families who have heard about the "Back to Sleep" campaign, which has been credited with reducing the rate of SIDS deaths by 50 %, cannot afford a crib for their baby. SIDS rates among African American infants are three times that of the general population. We must strengthen and extend our education programs into these communities with hands-on, on-site programs that can be implemented in homes, daycare centers, churches, community centers, schools and hospitals; and involve local civic, service and social groups to assist in these efforts. "Cribs for Kids" is true hands on program designed to provide both an appropriate sleeping environment-a crib-and education regarding safe sleep for babies to the families who most need the information. The "Cribs for Kids" Project addresses specific situations dealing with socio-economic issues such as crib affordability and cultural practices such as co-sleeping and breastfeeding; and parenting skills such as smoking and appropriate childcare. "Cribs for Kids" was developed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to address the issue of babies dying when placed in unsafe sleeping environments. SIDS Mid-Atlantic is a partner in the "Cribs for Kids" campaign, and we are proud to say that no family who received a crib through this program has subsequently died. To request a crib for a needy family, you must be a representative of a health department or a maternal child health agency in Maryland, Virginia or Washington D.C. To make a donation to the Cribs for Kids Project, please contact Betty Connal at SIDS Mid-Atlantic or go to the Donate page of this website.
SIDS Mid-Atlantic is a non-profit 501c3 organization. Here is a link to the US Consumer Products Safety Commission. They announce recalls and warn of the hazards of old and used cribs, which may be missing parts or may have been produced prior to the institution of current safety standards. The Cribs for Kids Project is funded
by grants from: Gannett Foundation National Capital Area
March of Dimes The Alexander and Margaret Stewart Trust TJX Foundation Virginia Center for Injury
Prevention Wawa Food Stores Weissberg Foundation |
info@sidsma.org - CFC# 6014