ALL DROP-SIDE CRIBS MAY BE BANNED DUE TO CHILD SAFETY HAZARD
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has voted to adopt new mandatory standards for cribs. These new standards would potentially go into effect next year after final approval by the Commission, and would make many of the cribs currently on the market not up to code. The vote comes on the same day that the CPSC announced that Pottery Barn Kids is recalling its drop-side cribs due to suffocation, entrapment and fall hazards. According to the CPSC, 36 infants and toddlers have died because of crib structural problems between November 2007 and April 2010. 35 of those fatalities occurred when crib components detached, disengaged, or broke ending in a tragedy that was entirely avoidable. The new standards aim to eliminate gaps, where babies could become entrapped and suffocate, and to prevent babies from falling out of the cribs. For some, like Michele Witte, these standards have been a long time in the making. Michele's 10 month-old son, Tyler, died when his neck became stuck between the side rail and headboard of his crib 13 years ago. Michele has been an advocate for strengthening crib product safety standards ever since. Read about Michele's story on CNN.
