subject: How Recent Recalls Affect Baby Furniture [print this page] How Recent Recalls Affect Baby Furniture How Recent Recalls Affect Baby Furniture
Part of putting together a nursery is creating a safe place for your child to sleep. Up until recently, most cribs and baby monitors were considered safe. During the second half of the aughts, however, recalls of drop side cribs increased. In nearly all instances, the drop side portion of the crib was not attached with sturdy hardware and broke off, falling on the baby and resulting in suffocation, strangulation, or entrapment. Enough cribs were recalled during the past 10 years that the CPSC, at the start of 2010, issued a ban on all drop side models. During the next six to 12 months, stores, daycare centers, hotels, and any facility selling or using cribs needs to remove and replace all drop side models.
The drop side crib ban, however, is only the start of the CPSC and parents questioning the safety of certain baby furniture and products. Although fixed-side, or stationary, cribs are now required, the crib itself is a cause of nearly 10,000 injuries per year. Crib bumpers, as well, have come into question recently. Designed to cushion the baby against the hard sides of a crib, bumpers may be associated with suffocation-related infant deaths.
Baby monitors, as well, are being examined. Corded monitors, when placed too close to a crib, can cause strangulation-related deaths.
When it comes to purchasing baby furniture, what is a parent to do? Could a product be recalled at any point?
If you are purchasing baby furniture, durability and use are two key factors. For the former, examine the design of the furniture not just the look but also the hardware. As the drop-side crib incidents show, plastic rails and hardware are not reliable. If possible, find baby furniture with metal hardware, which is less likely to break. Because of this, secondhand baby products are not reliable.
Ask yourself about the use of the baby furniture. Are you planning to use a crib, highchair, and bassinet for more than one child? If so, look for furniture that can withstand at least four years of use. Wear and tear decrease the effectiveness of a crib and other baby furniture, and a piece should stay sturdy, able to support a child, during this time.
If you plan to only have one child, baby furniture should still be durable. Instead of just tossing a crib aside or giving it away, however, consider a convertible design. Convertible cribs are increasing in popularity, as the basic design converts into a toddler bed. The crib, as a result, will last you four or five years.
