Makers of Drop-Side Cribs Propose Ban After Years of Infant Deaths, Injuries, and Recalls

Cribs with drop-sides may soon be a thing of the past in the United States after some of the largest makers and sellers of the popular infant furniture agreed to a ban.

The proposed industry-wide ban, preliminarily agreed to this week at a meeting of major crib manufacturers and retailers including Toys “R” Us, must be finalized before it can go into effect. It was introduced at a meeting of ASTM International, a group including crib manufacturers, product safety officials, and consumer groups.

The agreement to voluntarily stop making drop-side cribs appears to have been prompted by a recent Consumer Product Safety Commission edict to take “swift action to address the address the safety of drop-side cribs.” The fact that some of the biggest names in making and selling drop-side cribs have joined in the preliminary approval of the ban is an encouraging sign that the ban will be approved and complete.

Under the proposal, all cribs made or sold in the United States would be required to have four sides that are attached to one another and do not move up and down, therefore eliminating moving parts blamed for many injuries.

Scores of Deaths and Injuries From Drop-Side Cribs

Drop-side cribs, those with one side that slides up and down to make getting the baby in and out of the crib easier, have been blamed for scores of infant deaths and injuries in recent years. Infants have gotten their heads, necks, and other body parts trapped in openings of the drop-sides, causing suffocation, broken bones, bruises, and other severe injuries.

According to the CPSC, at least three children have died in drop-side cribs in the last 18 months and there are dozens more incidents in which drop-sides detached from cribs, increasing the risk of injuries.

Drop-side cribs have been the subject of massive product recalls, with millions of different makes and models being removed from the market because of concerns about infant deaths and injuries. Concerns about the safety of drop-side cribs have prompted many parents to use styles of cribs without a moveable side.

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