RECALL: One Million Baby Cribs This Week After 2009 Death Info

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Main Category: Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 23 Mar 2011 - 10:00 PDT


Delta Enterprises are reminding the public of the 2008 recall of almost one millions baby cribs that most recently led to the death of a seven month old girl in Colorado Springs back in 2009. The drop side crib that utilizes a trigger lock with safety pegs was resold to a Colorado family and was missing the crutial safety pegs when a the baby girl was trapped and suffocated between the detached drop side and mattress of her sleeping quarters.

The crib was purchased secondhand and re-assembled without safety pegs in the bottom tracks which if missing, can create a space where a baby can become trapped and eventually suffocate. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Chairman Inez Tenenbaum states:

"Buying or accepting cribs second hand can be risky. Second hand cribs may not come with all of the necessary parts that are needed to make sure your baby is safe. We urge parents and caregivers to use caution and to be aware that new rules established by CPSC will bring safer cribs to the market this summer."

The CPSC reminds parents not to use any crib with missing, broken or loose parts and provide the following safety instructions on their website:

"Make sure to tighten hardware from time to time to keep the crib sturdy. When using a drop-side crib, parents should check to make sure the drop side or any other moving part operates smoothly. Always check all sides and corners of the crib for parts separating that can create a gap and entrap a child. In addition, do not try to repair any side of the crib. Babies have died in cribs where repairs were attempted by caregivers. Crib age is a factor in safety. At a minimum, CPSC staff recommends that you do not use a crib that is older than 10 years old. New, mandatory federal crib rules take effect on June 28, 2011. All cribs manufactured and sold after that date must meet new and improved safety requirements. Older cribs do not meet the new standard and can have a variety of safety problems."

Effective June 2011, cribs manufactured, sold, or leased in the United States must comply with the new federal standards. Effective 24 months after the rule is published, child care facilities, such as family child care homes and infant Head Start centers, and places of public accommodation, such as hotels and motels, must have compliant cribs in their facilities.

CPSC has recalled more than 11 million dangerous cribs since 2007. Detaching drop-side rails were associated with at least 32 infant suffocation and strangulation deaths since 2000. Additional deaths have occurred due to faulty or defective hardware. These new 2011 standards aim to prevent these tragedies and keep children safe in their cribs.

This re-announcement involves cribs that were made in Taiwan and Indonesia. The cribs were sold at major retail stores including Kmart, Target and Walmart between January 1995 and December 2005 (through September 2007 for model 4624) for about $100.

For compete information about the recall, helpful photos and all model numbers, click HERE.

Written by Sy Kraft, B.A.
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

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