keepingbabiessafe.org
16 Mount Bethel Road Suite #245, Warren, New Jersey 07059
Contact: Joyce Davis, President (908) 581-8699 jdavis@keepingbabiessafe.org
Keeping Babies Safe (KBS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing unnecessary infant and toddler deaths due to unsafe children’s products and practices.
Joyce Davis, President and Founder of Keeping Babies Safe, lost her four month-old son, Garret, after adding a supplemental mattress (a product advertised as safe and suitable) to her son’s portable crib. She founded Keeping Babies Safe (KBS) to prevent unnecessary tragedies like her son’s death from befalling other families, by educating families about crib and sleep safety and advocating for more stringent consumer product safety regulation laws.
More infants die each year directly as a result of unsafe cribs than from any other nursery product. On average, 26 infants require attention at emergency rooms every day as a direct result of injuries associated with unsafe cribs, playpens, and play yards – more than 16,000 each year. Since 2007, KBS has donated more than 8,000 safe cribs to financially-challenged parents and human service organizations with training in safe crib practices.
KBS has also partnered with the American Academy of Pediatrics and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to create “Safe Sleep (Environments) for Babies,” a national education campaign on infant/toddler sleep safety, which includes video, brochures, and educational materials in English and Spanish. The video is broadcast nationwide on the Newborn Channel, which reaches more than 3.1 million viewers in more than 1,000 hospitals nationwide each year.
Joyce’s vision for a safer world for infants and toddlers needs your help. Students can incorporate KBS into any aspect of their mitzvah project. JVS can also offer centerpieces, party favors, and displays for your Bar/Bat Mitzvah celebration to show your commitment to safe sleep for infants and toddlers.
There are many ways students ages 11-13 can help KBS.
LEARN: Students may spend time assisting KBS volunteers as they provide safe cribs and safe sleep education to low-income families in our area.
ADVOCATE: Students may write a “letter to the editor” and post on social media about the importance of ensuring safe sleep for infants and toddlers. Through media advocacy, students will educate the public about the dangers of using supplemental mattresses with soft-sided play yards. Students are also encouraged to share these efforts with their local congregation(s) and inform families about safe sleep practices.
SHARE: Students may distribute “Be Smart About Safe Sleep”™ postcards to expectant mothers, and to distribute KBS postcards and posters to child- and parent-focused business in your town, such as toy stores, maternity stores, and obstetrician’s offices.
FUNDRAISE: KBS holds its signature fundraising event, the KBS 5K Walk & Run, each October in Basking Ridge, NJ. The run includes many events for the entire family. Start your own team now for the October 11 event, or just show up and participate; it’s a great opportunity to learn more about KBS and how you can get involved. KBS needs volunteers to put up flyers, hand out tri-folds, help at the registration table, distribute T-shirts, hand out water, and stand at the finish line and along the race course.