Gerber, Gore Join Baby ‘Back To Sleep’ Push

Baby food giant Gerber and Tipper Gore are adding their voices to a campaign to protect sleeping babies from sudden, unexplained death. The message: Put babies to sleep on their backs.

“We must work to ensure that it reaches every day-care worker, every grandparent, every baby sitter - every single person who comes in contact with our children and their parents,” said Gore, who joined the “Back to Sleep” campaign as a spokeswoman.

Babies sleeping on their stomachs are more likely to die from sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS.

The government’s information campaign has helped reduce the number of SIDS deaths by 30 percent since 1992, when doctors first recommended that sleeping babies be placed face up or on their sides. They now recommend babies sleep on their backs because a baby can easily fall from his side to his stomach.

“Despite all the progress we have made in reducing SIDS deaths, nearly 4,000 healthy babies still go to sleep every year and never wake up,” Gore said.

Gerber announced it would put the message on 3 million rice boxes, about 1-1/2 to two months’ worth of rice sales, with the first boxes appearing in June. The message fills the back of the box and gives a toll-free phone number and address in English and Spanish to contact for information.