After dozens of deaths, drop-side cribs out
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 the deaths of more than 30 infants and toddlers in the past decade and millions of recalls.
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It was a unanimous vote by the Consumer Product Safety Commission to ban 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 would take effect in June. The move by CPSC would also prohibit hotels and child care centers from using drop-sides, though those facilities would have a year to purchase new cribs.
Around for decades, 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.
CPSC 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.
In all, drop-side cribs have been blamed in the deaths of at least 32 infants and toddlers since 2000 and are suspected in another 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.
The new standard mandates tougher safety testing for cribs, 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.
The new tests aim to make sure the cribs can take that kind of pressure.
Better labeling on crib pieces will also be required. It aims to cut down on the misassembly problems that some parents have encountered.
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 from Roseville, Calif. “But the fact that it is happening — that’s what is important.”
Crib makers already were phasing out drop-side cribs over the last couple years, amid increasing problems with them.
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