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U.S. to Ban Sale of All Drop-Side Baby Cribs
BusinessWeek is reporting that the Consumer Product Safety Commission voted unanimously today to ban the sale of drop-side cribs in the United States. The new regulations for infant beds should go into effect by the end of this year.
This comes as no surprise, after C&T International/Sorelle recalled 170,000 cribs in May due to reports of bruising and abrasions. More than 9 million drop-side cribs have been recalled since 2005 and 153 deaths from drop-side cribs were reported in the last four years. Astonishing, really, if you think about it. My daughter slept in a drop side crib from Target (pictured) for two years.
CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum said today that the agency was “following a mandate from Congress” and that the large number of accidents have occurred “because we had such a weak crib standard.” It has been almost 30 years since new, industry-wide regulations were issued for baby bedding. The CPSC is not advising that people who are currently using drop-side cribs replace them, but you should check for recall and safety information on their website. Pottery Barn Kids drop-side cribs were recalled today, and many other recalled brands are listed here.
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[...] Rules U.S. to Ban Drop-Side Cribs in Overhaul of Child-Safety Rules – BusinessWeek U.S. to Ban Sale of All Drop-Side Baby Cribs | Strollerderby [...]
U.S. to Ban Drop-Side Cribs in Overhaul of Child-Safety Rules - Hippymom - An Evolution of Female Community commented on Jul 14 10 at 10:55 pm[...] month, the CSPS voted to ban drop-side cribs after they were implicated in more than a hundred infant deaths. But many parents are now wondering [...]
Pacifiers Recalled. Are Any Baby Products Safe? | Strollerderby commented on Jul 22 10 at 11:41 amPlumbLucky commented on Jul 15 10 at 7:44 amSo why not improved the ::stupid:: standard rather than to outright ban?
baconsmom commented on Jul 15 10 at 11:22 amBecause having to climb a stepstool to get your baby out of the crib is so much safer, right? Especially at two in the morning. Awesome.
bob commented on Jul 15 10 at 11:55 amI very much agree with you, PlumbLucky and I wonder why a ban was preferable. Here’s an interesting article that suggests it may be a roundabout way of protecting low-end crib manufacturers: http://www.zrecommends.com/detail/the-drop-side-crib-ban-is-there-more-to-this-than-meets-the-eye/
Rachel commented on Jul 15 10 at 12:49 pmI’m only five feet tall so I really don’t know how I would even be able reach inside a crib without drop sides. Luckily we still have the one we used for my son and provided it hasn’t been recalled, if we should be blessed with another, I will definitely use it again.
JesBelle commented on Jul 15 10 at 1:52 pmI had a drop-side as a kid and my sisters both used it after me. The thing was a tank — heavy and solid, plus all of the hardware was metal. When I looked at cribs for our baby, everything was so flimsy and the hardware was plastic. Since it looked as if I’d have to get a spendy (or moderately spendy) crib anyway, I opted for one that would convert to a toddler bed, and then to a double bed, to get more use from it. Of course those models have fixed sides. My kid’s a moose and I’m no spring chicken, but so far, so good. Still, I wish a decent drop-side had been available. My parents had long since ditched the tank.
Kari commented on Jul 15 10 at 1:56 pmDefinitely sad for those of us of shorter stature, especially. I agree with you, PlumbLucky, we should be looking at raising standards, not issuing outright bans.
PlumbLucky commented on Jul 15 10 at 2:14 pmHeck, I’m not exactly of shorter stature and I have trouble with the mattress on the lowest setting!
@bob – that’s where I first noted the issue…at zrecs.
ChiLaura commented on Jul 15 10 at 4:04 pmRe: difficulty reaching inside: Our friends have a crib on which one side folds down, so it’s like a drop-side in that you can reach into it. I’m guessing, though, that it was pretty expensive, and I don’t think that it can be converted to a double bed — not sure about converting to toddler. Crazy that the standards “can’t” be changed. 153 deaths! What is going on?
ChiLaura commented on Jul 15 10 at 4:11 pmHa, I just read the article linked above by bob, and some of the comments. I’m going to hold onto our dropside and sell it someday on the black market. We’ll make a fortune! People need these dropsides! Including me, as I have a bad back.
bob commented on Jul 15 10 at 4:34 pmMetal parts would basically fix the problem and could be mandated. The theory about why that isn’t happening seems to be that a big chunk of discount manufacturers’ sales come from drop-side cribs and adding metal hardware would push prices for drop-sides out of the discount range. If fixed sides were the only option in the discount range, the lost sales volumes would hurt those manufacturers’ profits. By eliminating the drop-side market segment altogether, rather than pushing those drop-side buyers to up-market products, large numbers people continue to buy discount cribs.
The manufacturers have tremendous input in the rule-making process. Parents don’t.
Callie commented on Jul 15 10 at 4:42 pmI have never been so happy that we ended up co-sleeping. We did purchase a drop-side crib (that has since been recalled) but my son never slept in it. He always slept better in bed with us, so that’s where he has stayed. When number two comes along, I suspect we will do the same thing. If they need a bed, they can use a mattress on the floor (which is what is in my son’s room now – although he still sleeps with us).
Laure68 commented on Jul 15 10 at 6:06 pmTo those of you asking why they don’t just improve the standards, it takes a very long time to develop and implement standards and tests for this sort of things, especially for something where there are known risks and actual deaths that have occurred. The approval process alone for these standards could take years. Since this is something that requires immediate action, the only real choice they have is to ban the cribs. One could imagine that someone could come up with acceptable standards and a drop-side crib could be reintroduced into the market, but I’m not sure how likely that is.
mia commented on Jul 16 10 at 12:08 pmI’m 5ft tall with short arms (really!!)…. I would need to practically lift my daughter over the rail and while reaching over and “drop” my daughter onto the crib mattress to put her down and then pull at her clohes to pick her up… I wonder if there will be a lot more accidents from cribs mattresses not being lowered when they should, due to parent height resctrictions…. Even on the highest mattress height, I cant reach my daughter without lowering the side… Hm… maybe they will need to make low profile cribs for those of us who are vertically challenged :)
Marj commented on Jul 22 10 at 12:30 pmI’m only 5 foot 3 and I was concerned about this. However, I got a good sturdy low-profile crib from IKEA and the only time I run into trouble is changing the sheets.
Becca commented on Aug 09 10 at 4:55 amThey are only outlawing drop side cribs you can still buy cribs where the mattress height that starts about as deep as a bassinet and is lowered as your child reaches milestones like sitting up and standing.
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