Please help clean up graffiti in baby product imagery

An image of a sleeping infant in potentially unsafe positions and conditions can act like graffiti - that 'writing on the wall' that sends a counter message to parents and invites risk-taking in infant care decisions. In New Zealand every year, 60-70 babies die preventable deaths related to unsafe sleeping conditions. We are on a mission to clean up that graffiti and need your help to do so.

Parents influenced by imagery

Parents can be influenced by the imagery and information on packaging and advertising of products for babies. They may even base their infant care decisions on what they read or see displayed in a shop, magazine, on TV or on internet sites. It is essential, therefore, that standards of imagery and information align with infant safety recommendations and are consistent with the information parents receive from their health professionals.

Safe sleep standards

This is especially important for products used in a baby's sleeping environment, be they furniture, clothing bedding or any other item. We have developed a safe sleep standard to guide the manufacturing, marketing, photography and retail industries, and sample Swing Tag Statements and Care Labels for attaching to products. These are a way to link the baby product industry with international evidence while also providing consistency for parents on what is safe and what is not when babies sleep.

Are you in the baby product industry?

It's good for business when customers trust your product information. We are keen to work with you to ensure that product imagery and information, shop displays and advertising all align with international recommendations for protecting babies through their developmentally critical first six months.

Looking for industry leaders

Contact us if you would like to take a lead in displaying a Safe Sleep Standard on your product, packaging, displays or website.

Check the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) guidelines

Here is a ruling by the ASA on a complaint against a televised advertisment portraying a baby asleep face down on a sheepskin. Be ahead of the game and know the industry standards.

Have you spotted graffiti and want to take action?

You can send an email to a manufacturer / TV channel / website / magazine editor / photographer / retailer or other to reinforce appropriate imagery and information, or, alert them to inappropriate imagery or information and invite their help with the clean up.

Want to see what we found?

Click the links to read the 2010 reviews, undertaken by Change for our Children, of images of sleeping babies on the internet and in magazines. You may be surprised at how few met the criteria.