‘Dropdown Side’ Baby Crib Massive Recall Set For Tuesday

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I recently learned of a friends baby being injured in an accident when he fell from his crib,after attempting to climb out of it.He is at that age where many babies under the age of two,become actively involved in dangerous behavior, because they do not know any better.

The child got twisted up in a bumper as he fell,and was left hanging from the side of it.

Luckily for him, it was under his arm and not his neck,so the injury was mild compared to what could have happened,but the fear that the mom experienced was terribly frightening.I could tell from her voice, as she told the whole story to me.

This got me to investigate the design of the crib, and I questioned how could it be improved,in order to prevent it from happening in the future,or should she just get a new crib,or step up to a day bed since he is getting bigger.

I am not an engineer,but I do like to build things and modify tools, in order to make them better, and I am sure that the people at the Consumer Product and Safety Commission ask themselves these questions every day, as they go about testing the reliability and safety for all consumer products on the market today. Babies need advocates like them looking after their safety.

There is no category that needs to be regulated more than the baby product category,given that the stakes are so high for mother’s and babies worldwide.

To that end, today comes a report from ABC News that The Consumer Product Safety Commission is expected to announce one of the largest crib recalls in history. The concern is over unsafe drop down sides on the cribs.

The recall involves cribs with drop down sides, because the CPSC said they can cause strangulation if a child gets stuck in a gap between the side rail and the headboard.

From CBS news.com comes this report….”Parents like the convenience of having the side drop down,” CPSC Chair Inez Tenenbaum said, adding the hardware used by many manufacturers to make the sides drop isn’t “substantial.”

Tenenbaum said that the commission has been relying on “voluntary standards” for crib safety, but that the group will now propose regulations.

“We find that is no longer enough. We will now be writing (proposing) federal regulations that are mandatory for cribs,” Tenenbaum said.

The CPSC suggests checking the hardware to see if it seems solid. Feel the side rail: If you can move it back and forth, that can be dangerous.

It points to potentially inadequate hardware and the potential for a gap opening. And the CPSC suggests parents stop using the side rail – do not put it up and down anymore.
 
The CPSC has recalled more than 5 million cribs in the last two years…

It is not yet known which models will be subject to recall.

This will be the largest  recall in the United States ever, so chances are that many readers will own, or know of someone who owns a defective crib, and should be alerted.

Click on these news services for more information about the recall, and consult your local dealer if you think you own an affected crib…

http://www.officialwire.com/main.php?action=posted_news&rid=34922

http://blogs.ajc.com/momania/2009/11/23/crib-recall-is-your-crib-safe/?cxntfid=blogs_momania