After millions of recalls and more than 30 infant and toddler deaths, the government outlawed drop-side cribs yesterday.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission voted unanimously to ban the manufacture, sale and resale of the cribs, which have a side rail that moves up and down, allowing parents to more easily lift their child from the crib.
The new standard requiring cribs to have fixed sides would take effect in June. The move by CPSC would also prohibit hotels and childcare centers from using drop-sides, though those facilities would have a year to purchase new cribs.
CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum said, "I believe these new standards will markedly reduce crib-related hazards and help to ensure that young children sleep more safely in their cribs."
Around for decades, drop-side cribs have come under scrutiny in recent years because of malfunctioning hardware, sometimes cheaper plastics, or assembly problems that can lead to the drop-side rail partially detaching from the crib. When that happens, it can create a dangerous "V"-like gap between the mattress and side rail where a baby can get caught and suffocate or strangle.
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