The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is an organization of 66​,000 pediatricians committed to the optimal physical, mental, and social health and well-being for all infants, children, adolescents, and young adults.​ Their evidence-based guidelines on safe sleep, car seats, and more have been crucial to KID’s outreach and educational work.

When we learned that the 2017 AAP Conference was going to be in Chicago – KID’s home town – we knew we had to take advantage of this opportunity to connect with dedicated early childhood healthcare providers and share our product safety resources. We were looking forward to discussing recalls, safe sleep, and product safety, offering KID materials and workshops to educate patients and staff, and hearing from attendees about the safety issues that were affecting their patients.

From September 15-18 , KID’s Executive Director, Nancy Cowles, and I represented KID in the Exhibitor’s Hall at McCormick Place during the 2017 AAP Conference, where we greeted pediatricians and other early childhood healthcare professionals. Our display of unsafe products attracted a lot of attention. Some were surprised to see the recalled McDonalds Step-iT wristbands – it is often impossible to tell that a recalled product is unsafe just by looking at it. Others were glad that we were drawing attention to the hazards of sleep positioners, laundry pods, and magnetic toys, and mentioned that their patients continue to come into contact with these dangerous products.

Many attendees also collected KID materials and information on our educational workshops to use once they returned home. Our Children’s Product Safety Guide continues to be our most popular resource, but our KID Brochures (in English and Spanish), Safe from the Start DVDs, KID posters, and healthcare professional flyers were also available. We’re so glad that attendees found these resources helpful and will be able to use them to help keep their patients safe.

We also had the chance to catch up with few KID Board members, representatives from partner organizations, and other longtime supporters. I even ran into my childhood pediatrician, who had come to attend the conference all the way from Columbia, South Carolina! It was lovely to catch up with her after she cared for me and my brother for two decades. Seeing her only reinforced the crucial role that pediatricians serve for families and communities, allowing children to grow and thrive.

We are so glad to support our dedicated early childhood healthcare professionals in any way we can. If there’s anything KID can do for you, please contact us today.

Carson Gaffney

Program Director