Beware of Crib Recalls

By: CONSUMER REPORTS | TriCities.com
Published: June 25, 2009

If you’re a parent of a baby or a toddler – this information could save your child’s life.

Twenty-two cribs have been recalled in the last two years and have resulted in at least five infant deaths.

Consumer reports has the information you need to know in order to buy a safe crib.

One morning in 2007, Carolyn Zabriskie-Hartung and her husband Andrew awoke to a sound no parent wants to hear - their daughter Abigail shrieking in pain.

"We ran in there and we found Abigail with her hand caught in between the front part of the crib and the base," she said.

Thankfully, Abigail was okay. But her crib was eventually recalled. And Consumer Reports says there are lots of problems with cribs -especially ones with drop sides.

The problem with many drop-side cribs is that the hardware can fail and can open up a dangerous gap large enough to trap a child and possibly strangle them, according to Consumer Report’s Don Mays.

Problems with drop sides have lead to the recent recalls of more than a million and a half Delta cribs and more than a million Simplicity cribs. Toys "R" Us has announced it will no longer order drop-side cribs.

With so many cribs recalled, it's all the more important that consumers NOT buy secondhand cribs.

Consumer Reports says instead parents should get a stationary-side crib, like this one with sides that don't drop.

A good choice is the Ikea Leksvik. It's a Consumer Reports Best Buy at 160 dollars. And it rated excellent for safety.

At this point, the consumer product safety commission has announced the recall of some four-million cribs. Click here to see a list of all children’s products, not including toys, that have been recalled.

Or, click here and enter the name of your crib in the search bar to search for more information.