The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is warning parents and caregivers about the dangers of placing baby audio and video camera monitors too close to cribs, bassinets, play yards and other safe sleep environments for babies. Since 2004, CPSC has received six reports of infants who were strangled by baby monitor cords placed too close to the crib. The most recent death occurred in March 2010, when a 10-month-old female from Washington, D.C. became entangled in the camera monitor cord next to her crib and died of strangulation. CPSC has also received three reports of infants who became entangled with cords around their necks but was freed by caregivers without serious injury.
CPSC offers the following safety tips to prevent deaths and injuries associated with baby monitor cords:
- Use a wireless baby monitor to avoid risk of strangulation.
- If using a baby monitor with cords, make sure all cords are out of arm’s reach of your
child.
NOTE: These tips are important even if your baby is not yet standing or mobile.
Safety tips for other corded products:
- Examine all shades and blinds in your home. Make sure there are no accessible cords on the front, side, or back of the product. CPSC recommends the use of cordless window coverings in all homes where children live or visit.
- Do not place beds, cribs, play yards and other furniture close to windows because
children can climb on them and gain access to window blind cords. - Keep wall decorations with ribbons or streamers away from cribs and well out of reach of children.
Remove all drawstrings from the neck and hood area of outerwear or jackets of young
children, as they pose a strangulation hazard.
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