Cribs are supposed to keep babies safe. But federal regulators are alarmed by a rash of safety problems in the past two years that have required millions of cribs to be recalled by several companies.
At least 13 children —- two in Georgia —- have died in cribs and bassinets recalled by just one manufacturer: Simplicity Inc..
On July 2, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the recall of 400,000 Simplicity drop-side cribs because they pose a risk of suffocation. The plastic hardware can break or deform, creating a potentially deadly gap between the drop side and the crib mattress, federal officials said.
It's the latest in a series of Simplicity recalls, prompting CPSC officials to urge consumers, day care providers, thrift store operators and online sellers to make sure they don't have any of the dangerous products. Simplicity is out of business.
But similar hazards have been found in cribs made by more than a dozen other companies, federal records show. Since 2007, more than 4.6 million cribs have been recalled. It's likely many of them are in homes without needed repairs because product recalls often have limited effectiveness, experts said.
Safety watchdogs used to primarily warn of the dangers of using hand-me-down cribs made before safety standards forced improvements. Now, new cribs are the subject of warnings.
"We've had a new wave of problems, a wave that has lasted nearly two years at this point," CPSC spokesman Scott Wolfson said. "It's especially serious because of the number of deaths associated with them."
Beyond deaths in Simplicity products, Wolfson said, there have been dozens of deaths associated with drop-side cribs in recent years, though he didn't have an exact count.
Modern crib hazards mainly fall into three categories, Wolfson said.
Drop sides on cribs that don't stay on their tracks, creating dangerous gaps because of failed or missing parts, improper assembly or wear and tear. Recalls include two in October involving drop-side cribs made by Delta Enterprise Corp. The potential for missing safety pegs in 985,000 of the cribs and spring-peg failure in 600,000 cribs create a risk for dangerous gaps along the drop side. The recalls were announced after the death of an 8-month-old child who suffocated when the drop side detached in a crib reassembled without safety pegs.
Mattress support failures, where one or multiple corner mattress supports break. This creates a dangerous gap where a child can become entrapped and suffocate. Recalls include one in January involving 535,000 Stork Craft cribs with metal mattress support brackets that can crack and break. The CPSC had received 10 reports of the brackets breaking.
Broken vertical side slats or spindles that create gaps where babies can get stuck. Recalls include three announced between June 2008 and April by Jardine Enterprises involving more than 470,000 cribs with slats that can break or fall out of their rails. As of April, the CPSC had received more than 90 reports of slats breaking, including six cases where children became entrapped in the gap created by the break. Three incidents resulted in minor injury: bumps and scrapes, the agency said.
Last September, a 2-month-old girl died in Habersham County after her face became wedged between the mattress and soft fabric cover of a Graco-branded bassinet made by Simplicity, said Steve Goldner, an Atlanta attorney representing the family.
A month earlier, after a 5-month-old Kansas girl strangled to death between the metal bars of a Simplicity bassinet, the CPSC announced a recall. In September, 10 days before the Georgia girl's death, the agency sent out a press release that some of the bassinets were sold with Graco logos.
The Georgia child was staying with her grandmother for a few nights and a neighbor had loaned the bassinet, unaware of the Simplicity recalls, said Goldner, who declined to identify the family. The family, who is still struggling to cope with the child's death, doesn't want to talk about the case, he said.
Simplicity's phones are disconnected. Graco officials said they can't comment because of the potential for litigation. "Our hearts go out to the family that has suffered the loss of their child," Graco spokesperson Lindsay Lebresco said in an e-mailed statement that also urged parents to check children's products on the CPSC Web site.
In 2006, 6-month-old Edward Millwood died in a Simplicity drop-side crib while staying overnight with his aunt and uncle in Woodstock, according to court and CPSC records. The little boy was found stuck between the drop side and the mattress. A drop side rail had split at a joint; cracks were found in another rail, federal investigators found.
The boy's family has confidentially settled a lawsuit in the case and is unable to talk about it, said their attorney, M. Kevin Hausfeld.
Drop-side cribs, which allow caregivers to take children in and out without reaching over a high railing, have been very popular in recent years. But in the wake of safety concerns, Toys "R" Us has stopped placing orders for drop-side cribs and expects to no longer carry them by year's end, said Katie Reczek, a spokeswoman for the retailer.
A leading nonprofit manufacturing standards organization, ASTM International, will hold a meeting of its crib safety committee July 21 to consider a proposal that essentially would eliminate drop sides. Because of problems with hardware failures and improper assembly by consumers, some committee members are concerned there may not be a way to develop an engineering fix for drop-side cribs, said Len Morrissey, the group's manager of consumer products.
Although some bare-bones federal regulations are in place for cribs, most safety standards are voluntary ones developed by ASTM International. The Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association has a certification program that allows manufacturers that meet these voluntary standards to put a JPMA seal on their cribs.
Yet many of the recalled cribs carried that seal.
Yarissa Reyes, an association spokeswoman, said in an e-mail that when products are tested for certification, they have been assembled according to the manufacturers' instructions. "Not all recalls occur because of a violation of a regulation or a product standard," she said.
If assembly and use instructions aren't properly followed, risks can be exacerbated, Reyes said.
Rick Locker, an attorney for crib maker Jardine, said consumers need to keep the current series of recalls in perspective. Cribs today are safer than they've ever been, he said, crediting the voluntary ASTM standards. And he noted that many of the issues involving drop-side cribs involve cribs that are being used for a second or a third child, pointing out the importance of proper reassembly.
But because of problems with durability and concern that current crib standards aren't enough to protect children, the CPSC is considering greater regulation. Any changes could still be months away, officials said.
"Most parents assume if a store is selling it, that someone must have made sure that it was made to be safe," said Nancy Cowles, executive director of Kids in Danger, a leading national crib safety advocacy group. "One of the things in this country that should be tested and safe ought to be a child's sleeping environment."
Keeping up with crib recalls
Parents and caregivers shouldn't assume that the cribs they're using are safe —- even if they've been purchased recently, experts say. The Consumer Product Safety Commission's Web site details more than 20 recalls involving millions of cribs just in the past two years. Dozens of additional recalls have occurred.
The CPSC is urging consumers to be especially on the lookout for numerous Simplicity nursery products, including cribs and bassinets, that have been involved in recalls since 2005.
Here are the most recent crib recalls. In most cases, the recalls involve specific models and dates of manufacture. For full details on crib recalls, go to www.cpsc.gov or call 800-638-2772.
Date of recall Product Number Hazard
July 2 Simplicity
400,000 Suffocation
drop -side cribs
June 9 Babi Italia Pinehurst
2,900 Entrapment,
and Bonavita Hudson
suffocation
drop-side cribs
June 9 Bonavita "Cabana"
2,000 Entrapment,
drop-side cribs
strangulation
April 30 Jardine cribs 96,000* Entrapment,
strangulation
April 2 SunKids convertible
1,900 Entrapment,
cribs
suffocation
Jan. 13 Stork Craft
535,000** Entrapment,
baby cribs
suffocation
Jan. 6 Jardine cribs 56,450* Entrapment,
strangulation
* These Jardine recalls expand a similar recall of 320,000 cribs in June 2008.
** Includes 92,000 with the Fisher-Price logo
Source: CPSC
Report hazards
Consumers are urged to report potential hazards, injuries or deaths associated with cribs and other products to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission: www.cpsc.gov/talk.html or 800-638-2772.
Keep infants safe
Experts say the safest sleeping environment for babies is a safe crib with a tight-fitting mattress and sheet. Concerns about crib safety should not prompt parents to abandon cribs altogether, experts said.
"We don't want to scare people into putting their baby on a couch cushion or a water bed" or any other unsafe environment, said Nancy Cowles, executive director of Kids in Danger, a national crib safety advocacy group.
Nothing else should be put in the crib except the baby. And caregivers shouldn't use cribs made before 1999, which don't meet current safety standards, Cowles said.
Check all cribs for:
Slats that are too far apart. If a soda can fits, it's too wide and could allow a child to become entrapped.
Screws and bolts that are loose or missing. This could allow deadly gaps to develop.
Mattresses that are tight fitting so that an adult's two fingers can't slip between the mattress and the crib's side.
Safe drop-side rails. They should lock properly and securely when raised.
Cracked or peeling paint, which can be dangerous. All painted surfaces should be lead free.
Use cribs safely:
Read and follow all directions for setting up and using the crib. Get replacement instructions from the manufacturer if needed.
Remove all soft bedding such as pillows, blankets, bumper pads and stuffed toys.
Use tight-fitting sheets.
Regularly check mattress support hangers and other hardware to make sure they're secure and working properly.
Stop using a crib with loose or missing parts and contact the manufacturer.
Source: Kids In Danger, www.kidsindanger.org
Check our sources
CPSC regulations: To read the Consumer Product Safety Commission's advance notice of proposed rule-making for cribs, go to: www.cpsc.gov/businfo/frnotices/fr09/cribsafety.pdf
Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act: Congress is requiring the CPSC to develop standards for a variety of children's products, including mandatory crib standards. www.cpsc.gov/ABOUT/Cpsia/sect104.html
Juvenile Product Manufacturers Association: To read about voluntary certification of cribs and other products, go to www.jpma.org.
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