Baby Safety Month to Focus on 5 Things To Do Before Bringing Baby Home

September 5, 2024

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.

For GivingTuesday, JPMA Cares Aims to Raise $20K to Help Babies Sleep Safely

November 19, 2024
MT. LAUREL, N.J., Nov. 19, 2024 -- As the annual GivingTuesday celebration nears, JPMA Cares —the philanthropic arm of the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA)—aims to unleash the power of people and organizations to form a future where babies no longer die from preventable deaths. The nonprofit organization has a goal to raise $20,000 for its Safe Sleep Campaign by the end of GivingTuesday on December 3, 2024. In a testament to shared belief and unwavering commitment, three former chief staff executives of JPMA have pledged to match the donations three to one for a total potential match of $60,000. Collectively, they are calling this "The Power of Three" pledge. Their generosity exemplifies leadership rooted in compassion, and their hope is to inspire others to do the same. "We've made significant strides in baby safety over the years, yet challenges remain," shared Bill MacMillan, CAE, former JPMA Executive Director, and current JPMA Cares Board Member. "I believe in this mission, and contributing to ensure safe sleep for infants feels like the most meaningful way to give back."  Bob Waller, Jr., CAE, former Executive Director for JPMA, current President & CEO of Association Headquarters (JPMA's management company for the past 46 years), and current JPMA Cares Board Member, added, "I want our safe sleep efforts to reach even more families as we build toward greater impact. I'm also a father and soon-to-be grandfather and feel personally called to support this cause." "Safe sleep for infants is a pressing concern in our country," noted Mike Dwyer, CAE, former JPMA Executive Director, current Association Headquarters Chief Executive Relationship Officer, and current JPMA President. "Supporting families to ensure they have awareness of—and products for—safe sleep practices is critical." The support from MacMillan, Waller, and Dwyer demonstrates how belief in a mission can inspire actions that create lasting change and hope. This year, JPMA Cares has: Amplified safe sleep best practices to expectant and new parents through videos on hospital network television Provided crucial safety information cards to expectant parents and caregivers, promoting awareness and education to support safer choices Distributed baby products to families affected by recent natural disasters "In 2022 alone, about 3,700 babies died from sleep-related deaths in the U.S. With your donations helping us to achieve 'The Power of Three' pledge, JPMA Cares will be able to impact more families, in more communities, and save even more lives," said Lisa Trofe, CAE, who serves as the current Executive Director for JPMA and JPMA Cares. To donate to JPMA Cares' Safe Sleep Campaign for GivingTuesday, visit JPMA Cares' website . To learn more about baby safety and access an abundance of free, expert-approved baby safety resources, visit the Baby Safety University section of the JPMA Cares website and follow @JPMACaresParents on Facebook and Instagram . About JPMA Cares JPMA Cares is the philanthropic arm of the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) and the broader baby and children's products industry. As a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, JPMA Cares aims to create better outcomes for infants and toddlers by reducing preventable injuries and deaths and providing families in need with donations of time, talent, and product.

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JPMA Cares Awards Microgrants to 11 Organizations Advancing Safe Sleep for Babies

October 4, 2024
MT. LAUREL, N.J., OCT. 3, 2024 — October marks Safe Sleep and SIDS Awareness Month, founded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, part of the National Institutes of Health. Tragically, approximately 3,700 babies in the U.S. were lost to sleep-related deaths in 2022 according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This number reflects an increase in sleep-related infant deaths over recent years, adding urgency to the need to better address this growing problem. That’s why JPMA Cares , the nonprofit foundation of the juvenile products industry, launched a Safe Sleep Campaign with other non-profit partners earlier this year. The campaign aims to deliver easy-to-understand, consistent advice about safe sleep to parents and caregivers across geographies, ethnicities, religions, and cultures. As a continuation of the Safe Sleep Campaign, JPMA Cares recently announced the recipients of its 2024-2025 microgrants to organizations championing safe sleep for babies and young children. From a field of nearly 40 applicants, the following 11 organizations were selected to receive microgrants: - All for Moms Foundation - Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago - Boston Children's Hospital - EveryMom Chicago - Hennepin Healthcare Trauma Prevention Program - Lucile Salter Packard Children's Hospital of Stanford - Maternal and Child Health Consortium - Oregon Health & Science University Foundation - Doernbecher Children's Hospital Injury Prevention Program - Phoenix Children's Hospital Foundation - Southwest Louisiana Area Health Education Center Foundation - Stork Support of Northern Colorado “JPMA Cares selected this year’s microgrant recipients because each is working to advance safe sleep for babies,” said JPMA Cares Board Chair Rick Schaub. “The grants will be used to further research and amplify safe sleep best practices to expectant and new parents, thereby preventing sleep-related injuries and deaths.” JPMA Cares created a Safe Sleep Tip Sheet with expert-approved, easy-to-follow advice on safe sleep for babies and young children. This free resource is available for download from the JPMA Cares website . If you’re interested in learning more and joining JPMA Cares to advance safe sleep for babies, please visit us at jpmacares.org . About JPMA Cares JPMA Cares is the philanthropic arm of the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) and the broader baby and children’s products industry. As a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, JPMA Cares aims to create better outcomes for infants and toddlers by reducing preventable injuries and deaths and providing families in need with donations of time, talent, and product. Media Contact: Kali Peterson JPMA Cares kpeterson@jpma.org # # #
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