Drop-side crib ban 'a long time coming'
December 15, 2010 2:00PM
Updated: August 4, 2011 4:20PM
WASHINGTON — It’s the end of the traditional crib that has cradled millions of babies for generations.
The government outlawed drop-side cribs Wednesday after more than 30 infants died in them and millions were recalled.
In a unanimous vote, the Consumer Product Safety Commission banned the manufacture, sale and resale of the cribs, which have a side rail that moves up and down, allowing parents to more easily lift their child from the crib.
The new standard requiring cribs to have fixed sides will take effect in June. The commission’s move also prohibits hotels and childcare centers from using drop-side cribs, though those facilities would have a year to purchase new ones.
Drop-side cribs have come under scrutiny in recent years because of malfunctioning hardware, sometimes cheaper plastics, or assembly problems that can lead to the drop-side rail partially detaching from the crib.
When that happens, it can create a dangerous “V”-like gap between the mattress and side rail where a baby can get caught and suffocate or strangle.
Commission Chairman Inez Tenenbaum hailed the new standard for cribs as one of the strongest in the world.
“I believe these new standards will markedly reduce crib-related hazards and help to ensure that young children sleep more safely in their cribs,” Tenenbaum said after the vote.
Drop-side cribs have been blamed in the deaths of at least 32 infants and toddlers since 2000 and are suspected in an additional 14 infant fatalities. In the past five years, more than 9 million drop-side cribs have been recalled, including cribs from big-name companies such as Evenflo, Delta Enterprise Corp. and Pottery Barn Kids.
“These products are deadly, and this critically needed action will prevent further senseless deaths,” said New York Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who pushed legislation to get drop-side cribs off the market.
The new standard mandates tougher safety testing for cribs, calling for tests that more closely mimic a child in a crib.
As children get older, they can apply more force to the crib — shaking on it, running around in it, jumping up and down. The new tests aim to make sure the cribs can take that kind of pressure.
Better labeling on crib pieces will also be required — a measure that aims to cut down on the misassembly problems that some parents have encountered, which can lead to the death of a child.
For parents who lost their children in drop-side cribs, Wednesday’s ban couldn’t come soon enough.
“I feel like it’s a celebratory time because things are finally being done about the issue,” said Michele Witte of Merrick, N.Y. Witte’s 10-month-old son, Tyler, died in a drop-side crib in 1997 after one of the side rails came loose, partially detached and then trapped his neck between the rail and the headboard.
Chad Johns, whose 9-month-old son, Liam, died in a drop-side crib in 2005, said he was a little relieved.
“Yes, it’s a long time coming,” said Johns, of Roseville, Calif. “But the fact that it is happening — that’s what is important.”
Crib makers were already phasing out drop-side cribs over the last couple of years because of the increasing number of problems with them. And last year, the organization that sets voluntary industry standards — ASTM International — approved a drop-side ban.
Parents who still are using drop-side cribs are advised to check the hardware to be certain it’s working properly and to make sure their crib has not been recalled. The Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association, which represents more than 90 percent of the crib industry, says properly assembled drop-side cribs that haven’t been recalled can be safely used.
AP
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