Banning Drop-side cribs
cincybearcat
Posts: 16,497
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/07/14/crib.s ... tml?hpt=T2
Thoughts on this?
My daughter had a drop side crib...she is now in a toddler bed. I had heard of some concerns while she was still using it, but it seemed very sturdy and I didn't have a problem having her use it.
Is this a necessary step or a bit a a knee jerk reaction? By the numbers about 1.25 babies die per year due to the drop-side crib. A terrible tragedy for those involved. But is the fix over-reaching or appropriate? It's tough because anytime you are talking about childrens' safety it's hard to see too much as a bad thing.
I like the idea of new, stricter standards for the materials and hardware for sure, but should they be banning old cribs that have not had any issues? Is it only a matter of time before something happens in those cribs so they have to fix it now?
I'm torn on this one.
Thoughts on this?
My daughter had a drop side crib...she is now in a toddler bed. I had heard of some concerns while she was still using it, but it seemed very sturdy and I didn't have a problem having her use it.
Is this a necessary step or a bit a a knee jerk reaction? By the numbers about 1.25 babies die per year due to the drop-side crib. A terrible tragedy for those involved. But is the fix over-reaching or appropriate? It's tough because anytime you are talking about childrens' safety it's hard to see too much as a bad thing.
I like the idea of new, stricter standards for the materials and hardware for sure, but should they be banning old cribs that have not had any issues? Is it only a matter of time before something happens in those cribs so they have to fix it now?
I'm torn on this one.
hippiemom = goodness
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Comments
Maybe it's a bailout for crib manufactures
was like a picture
of a sunny day
“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”
― Abraham Lincoln
Maybe that the problem... the cribs today are rickety and cheap (or laced with lead or melamine).
Hail, Hail!!!
Mine was laced with lead and my house was shingled in asbestos.
:shock: Wait a second. That explains a lot. :shock:
Why don't we ban swimming pools.
Everything is a knee jerk reaction today, I guarentee when my kids are able to drive they will have to wear helmets in the car.
I bet if one of those 15 were yours you would be singing a different tune.
98 CAA
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06 Letterman Show; Webcast (guy in blue shirt), Camden I; DC
08 Camden I; Camden II; DC
09 Phillie III
10 MSG II
13 Wrigley Field
16 Phillie II
They only want to pay for cheap pressboard and a coat of crappy paint.
At least that's what most customers who shopped at Sears wanted.
For instance, they wondered why the same crib was offered at less of a price elsewhere - the reason is its NOT the same crib. It may look like the same one, but the materials are cheaper. I know this because (at the time at least) Zellers sold the same storkcraft crib at a fraction of the price - but it wasn't solid wood.
The cribs’ drop-side plastic hardware can break, deform, or parts can become missing. In addition, the drop-side can be installed upside-down, which can result in broken or disengaged plastic parts. All of these problems can cause the drop-side to detach in one or more corners. When the drop-side detaches, it creates space between the drop-side and the crib mattress. The bodies of infants and toddlers can become entrapped in the space which can lead to suffocation. Complete detachment of drop-sides can lead to falls from the crib.
To be honest I never used the drop side portion of the crib. It made so much noise to drop it that it would have woke my son up in the middle of the night. But I do agree that it is a knee jerk reaction. Anything bad happens and they want to ban it. Don't let people make a concious decision for themselves or anything. :roll:
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This is how I feel too.
I wonder if it's just a way to get families to buy new cribs if they currently have the old type?
you are probably correct.
Fargo 2003
Winnipeg 2005
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St. Paul 2014
OMG Plastic components???!!?? Drop side intalled upside down???!!??
WOW I am gobsmacked. When I brought the cot for son when I was preggo, I didn't even consider a cheapie. I know that isn't an option for some people, but safety is paramount. I ensured that his cot, car seat, stroller and high chair all met or exceeded the safety standards here in OZ.
I can believe they have plastic components!!! There is not a single piece of plastic on my sons cot - now bed (it converted from cot-toddler bed- double bed). All solid timber and metal. And certainly no gaps, everything fits together flush and there is no way the drop side could be installed upside down, or accidentally operated by a child (it wouldn't want to when it cost $1500). The dropside had to be pushed in at the bottom and then lifted at the top at the same time to disengage it...which was quite a challenge for me at 155cm and after a c-section.
Sriously, how about just raising the standards, in order to elimnate the inferior manufacturers, rather than banning what is a completely safe product when manufactured and constructed properly.
I've heard about one part in particular, the plastic parts of the car seat.. depending on the quality of plastics used for the frame of the seat, it can have an effect on how the seat itself deals with temperature change, ie the pulling and condensing when in hot and cold weather throughout the year can weaken it. Its why carseats also have a life-span (for instance, here, you can only use a car seat 7 years from its manufacturing date)
SCB - how can you not see that there might be some discussion on this?
more people die every year from lightning strikes, should we ban going outside in the rain? Accidents happen. If a particular crib is a death trap(doesn't look like many are considering the mortality rate) recall it, otherwise leave it alone.
It is terrifying when you are too stupid to know who is dumb
- Joe Rogan
I think it would be a better mandate to have manufacturers fix the problems--the possible ban seems a bit aggressive to me. I never had one customer tell me that they had any problem with the drop-side cribs we sold (rickety, screws coming loose, etc.). The plastic parts could essentially be replaced with a little effort, minimal cost, and with good results. As for the cheap wood issue, there is no fix for that, so I think those should be replaced or tossed (instead of passing along to someone else).
One thing I will say is that cribs need to be checked periodically. In the store, men would come in and shake the hell out of a crib to see how sturdy it was. I always wondered if they were expecting a major earthquake in Georgia??? We would check the cribs weekly to see if the screws were not as tight as they should be due to the violent Daddy shaking. A crib in a home doesn't need to be checked that often, but it does need to be checked, and the screws tightened to original installation depth. I believe that all crib mattresses are standard now, but some people are using mattresses that the got from a friend or a family member. The importance of using a new mattress (or at least since the CPS and JPMA changed the recommendations and mandate) is that the interior of cribs (except round ones and also after the standardization) are the same size. No matter how much bigger one looks than the other, they are all the same size on the inside. People who use either a new mattress on an old crib, or an old mattress in a new crib need to know that it can be a hazard. Before someone even says it, using an old mattress on an old crib is still shoddy--they weren't a good fit to begin with.
As for installation errors, you can't fix stupid. I can put a crib together in about 10 minutes.
The path of least resistance is what I would like to see. I am all for keeping babies safe, but the bath/water comment really makes sense to me.
Oh, and yes--I realize this was probably more than you wanted to hear.
http://www.youtube.com/user/kcherub#p/a/u/0/N-UQprRqSwo
When a consumer product has had enough problems that it's been recalled several time - especially when it's for killing children (no abortion jokes, please) - it seems like common sense to just pull it from the market entirely. If I'm searching for a crib and my choice is between one that has killed several babies and one that has not, I'll go with the one that hasn't. But consumers in this country look to our regulatory bodies to ensure that all goods on the market are safe, so if a crib is on the market, most people would probably assume it's safe. Imagine if your child died in a crib that was known to be unsafe but was allowed to stay on the market anyway? What's the purpose of having this regulatory agencies if they're going to allow unsafe products to stay on the market? I guess there could be debate about what counts as unsafe, but I'll have to side with the experts on that one every time.
Who exactly are the experts? I prefer to use their information as input and decide on my own. Just seems like dropping a bomb when all you wanted to do was kill a flea.
The experts as in the people who make these decisions. It's their job to decide what's safe for the market, so if they say this crib might kill my baby and you say it probably won't, I'll believe them. (I don't actually even know who they are though.)
Well let me help you...there the same people that use to say they were safe.
Consumer Reports? A good place to check, anyway...
I can see banning a couple particularly cheap brands of cribs that are made poorly, but to go after the brands that have years of a good reputation, I still don't see the reasoning for banning all of these cribs.
I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case.
As someone who's worked in the same area... I totally know where you're coming from!