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Will Drop-Side Cribs Be Banned?
Categories: Health & Safety, Shopping
Some safety advocates say drop-side cribs are dangerous and should be banned. Photo toysrus.com
Over the past two years, 4.2 million cribs have been recalled due to hazardous defects and at least five infant deaths have been attributed to a recalled crib. Most of the recalls were due to issues with durability and hardware and the vast majority of them were drop-side cribs.
What is most alarming about these recalls is that most of them involved cribs that met current mandatory safety standards put in place by the federal government as well as the voluntary standards set forth by ASTM International, a U.S.-based standards-setting organization. This fact has prompted the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to schedule a meeting with consumer advocates, crib makers and other industry stakeholders to revisit and possibly revise those standards.
"It's the most important product in the home for babies, and we've got an obligation to look at the safety issues," says CPSC Acting Chairman Nancy Nord. "Durability is something that the CPSC and crib makers need to be paying close attention to."
Safety advocates say that the current standards don't take into account the way many families use their cribs. In general, cribs are not designed for many years of use or to withstand the taking apart and reassembling that so often occurs. "We need to address hardware failure, knowing people are going to use these for years and multiple kids," said Nancy Cowles, executive director of Kids In Danger, a Chicago consumer-advocacy group.
Because drop-side cribs have more moving parts to wear out and are more likely to be assembled incorrectly, The ASTM has proposed a ban on them. Some crib makers support that ban and Toys R Us has already stopped ordering them for their stores and will eventually stop selling them altogether.
"There are enough concerns raised about drop-side cribs that we're moving forward and we're going to phase them out," says Jerry Storch, Chairman and Chief Executive of Toys R Us.
Until such time as the standards are revised, many safety advocates advise against buying drop-side cribs. They also caution against purchasing any crib second-hand and urge parents to periodically check the hardware on their cribs to make sure they are in proper working order. To keep abreast of crib recalls, visit the CPSC Website.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
SKL 5-04-2009 @ 2:22PM
This is a terrible idea.
Drop side cribs are safer because you can lower the side when your child is of an age to start climbing out. It is pretty safe for a tot to climb in and out over a dropped crib side, compared to a raised crib side.
But sure, manufacturers/retailers are happy to ban them, as it will force more people to buy toddler beds when a drop-side crib would serve the purpose.
Another case of regulators trying to throw out the baby with the bathwater.
Reply
steff hartman 5-04-2009 @ 3:13PM
As a teacher in the infant room in a childcare center, we lower the mattress when the baby begins to sit up or pulls up to stand. Our crib rails cannot be dropped, and at age 55 I am just fine with picking up the babies, even when the mattress is lowest. If I can do this for 4 babies, all day, a parent half my age should be able to do it for a year or so until switching to a regular bed. We did not use toddler beds for our three kids. A portable side rail worked great, and we could take it with us to Grama's! However, I do hope the people who make the safety regulations have some first-hand experience with the products they regulate. Some of the regulations we follow are ridiculous....obvious the people making them have never cared for children!
Becca Seitz 5-04-2009 @ 2:28PM
Our family avoided the crib (and toddler bed!) altogether. Our daughter slept with us until she was 9 months old (at which point we couldn't stand the constant kicking any longer) and switched her to a twin-sized bed with bed rails. We had already taught her how to safely get out of our bed in the mornings, so it wasn't a big switch to her own bed. Granted, our beds are only about 1.5 feet high (we don't have box springs), so this was a very easy and safe task.
Reply
CLM 5-04-2009 @ 8:18PM
My concern is that height, specifically that of mothers, won't adequately be taken into account. I am 5'2", and while I am agile and physically fit, we bypassed many attractive cribs due to concerns that I would not be able to safely raise or lower an infant without a drop side. As it turns out, we were right to go with the drop side. When my twin boys were 3 months old, I sustained a rather severe injury to one hand and was unable to use it for close to 7 weeks. My husband took care of both boys every minute he was home, but he could not take off work for two months while my hand healed. The drop side proved essential. Without it, I could not have gotten the boys in or out of their cribs.
Reply
Mary Sullivan 5-05-2009 @ 8:27AM
I was thinking the same thing. I am 5'4", not exactly towering, but after baby no. 1 I went back to work, and we had a sitter who was only 4'11". We had a drop-side crib, but I didn't bother with it too much. I was able to lift in and out okay. The sitter **always** had to use it, though, given her height. I sure hope the manufacturers consider this.
Mary
http://www.squidoo.com/fiveminutebrownie
Amy Cooper 5-15-2009 @ 12:20AM
Enthusiastic parents initially go overboard buying baby furniture when they first realize they are going to produce their very own special cherub. Fortunately, they have nearly nine months to plan for the new arrival. The first concern naturally is converting a room next to or opposite their bedroom into a nursery. For the first few months, the protective parents generally prefer to place a cradle or bassinet next to their bed to ensure they can respond quickly to their baby cries when it comes to feeding, colic attacks, reflux etc.
Amy Cooper
Baby Furniture
Reply
Amy 5-15-2009 @ 12:23AM
Enthusiastic parents initially go overboard buying baby furniture when they first realize they are going to produce their very own special cherub. Fortunately, they have nearly nine months to plan for the new arrival. The first concern naturally is converting a room next to or opposite their bedroom into a nursery. For the first few months, the protective parents generally prefer to place a cradle or bassinet next to their bed to ensure they can respond quickly to their baby cries when it comes to feeding, colic attacks, reflux etc.
Amy Cooper
Baby Furniture
Reply