Sleeping Environment
The type of bed and bedding used for and small children is extremely important in reducing choking deaths. Sixty percent of infant suffocation occurs in the sleeping environment. It is estimated that as many as 900 infants whose deaths are attributed to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) each year are found in potentially suffocating environments, frequently on their stomachs, with their noses and mouths covered by soft bedding. Since 1988, at least 100 babies have died of suffocation or SIDS while in playpens with soft bedding or improper or extra mattresses.Children strangle in openings big enough for parts of their bodies but too small for their heads. These include spaces in bunk beds, cribs, playground equipment, baby strollers, carriages and high chairs. Since 1990, at least 57 children, nearly all ages 3 and under, have died due to entrapment in bunk beds. Each year, cribs and play yards are involved in nearly 53 percent of all nursery product related deaths among children ages 5 and under. Cribs (primarily older, used cribs) are responsible for about 26 strangulation and suffocation deaths each year.