Drop-side cribs finally outlawed
Drop-side cribs will need to be replaced
with a fixed-side crib like this one. (Image via Wikipedia)
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission voted today to outlaw the manufacture, sale and re-sale of drop-side cribs.
Such cribs, which feature side rails that can be lowered to allow caretakers to more easily lift children out, have been blamed for the deaths of dozens of babies in the past decade and have been the subject of many recalls. If the side rail gets off track, a baby's head can get caught in the space between the rail and the mattress, leading to strangulation or suffocation.
Though manufacturers have been phasing them out in recent years, many such cribs are still in use in homes, day-care centers and hotels. Cribs made after the new regulations go into effect in June must have fixed sides and must pass more stringent testing procedures than earlier models.
Hotels and child-care centers will have a year to replace any drop-side cribs with safer, fixed-side ones.
By
Jennifer LaRue Huget
| December 15, 2010; 3:57 PM ET
Categories:
Infant health, Parenting, Recalls, Sleep
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