I was working an as Industrial Designer in the mid 1990’s in the auto industry here in Detroit when I first learned of SIDS, (sudden infant death syndrome). A family member of a friend of mine suffered the incomprehensible loss of a baby that had been attributed to SIDS. I was very concerned to learn of this because it just so happened we were expecting our first baby. During this same time the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) had launched its “Back to Sleep” campaign. SIDS was then and remains a serious threat to the lives of babies the world over.

I decided to investigate SIDS from an Industrial Design perspective and see if there was a way to redesign the crib mattress to address the underlying causes that can lead to SIDS. The internet was becoming more widely available and this allowed me to extensively research the prevailing theories relative to the causes of SIDS. After nearly two years of research I determined that a mattress that allowed the free exchange of fresh air would address what I came to believe were the prevailing underlying causes that can lead to SIDS. Namely C02 rebreathing, airflow restriction accompanied by an elevated body temperature. I created my first “breathable mattress” prototype in time for my second child in 1998. I was convinced this was a safer alternative than conventional non-breathable baby mattresses. Over the next few years, I refined the design and started the first business selling my “breathable baby mattress” design in 2010. The early years were very difficult because I had essentially created a solution to a problem that in large part the public and more importantly baby mattress consumers, weren’t yet aware of. Since then, breathable mattresses have gained more and more recognition by consumers as a safer alternative to conventional non-breathable mattresses. The AAP has recognized this as well and released statements referencing the fact that air- permeable mattresses offer a safer alternative to non-air permeable mattresses for those babies who prefer to sleep on their stomachs. Since the introduction of the AAP’s “Back to Sleep” campaign the SIDS rate was cut in half from 8,000 babies a year to approximately 4,000 in a matter of just a few years. However, since the late 1990’s the SIDS rate has remained relatively constant.

Scientific testing has now confirmed the benefits of a highly breathable mattress and has proven that the exchange of fresh air does in fact provide babies with a safer sleeping environment. This year the ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) created a new subcommittee for “Firmness and Breathability for All Juvenile Products” to investigate the need for breathability standards for all sleep related infant products to make babies sleeping environments as safe as possible. The time has finally arrived where the science of safe sleep is now playing a role in the design of all sleep related infant products.