"When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall." This venerable children's nursery rhyme takes on a frightening new significance amid the rash of crib recalls. What's going on in "Babyland"?
Little tykes should be as safe in a crib as in their mother's arms. But , no. In the last 12 months, there have been five crib recalls where the hardware (the bough) was broken, missing, or otherwise failed to function. The latest one, just this week, and the largest yet, involved 1.5 million cribs manufactured by New York City based Delta Enterprises.
Heart-wrenching tragedies preceded the recall. Two eight-month old babies died when they became wedged in these cribs and suffocated. How devastating for the parents! How could that happen? Blame it on small articles identified in the assembly instructions as "safety pegs" and "spring pegs." The pegs are supposed to be inserted into the base of each leg of the crib to hold the drop side railing in place. However, if these small parts are missing or disengaged, the drop side can pull away and create a gap--a deadly entrapment hazard.
Virtually all of these cribs were made overseas in Taiwan, Indonesia, and China. Is this a case of here we go again, another Asian manufacturing screw-up? Jack Gutt, who is a spokesman for Delta Enterprises, says the cribs "were not flawed in their construction", but in their use. Gutt says the safety pegs were either missing or installed improperly.
Originally the cribs were sold at major retailers for up to $200, with dates codes as far back as 1995 up to 2007. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says many were resold and reassembled. Both the CPSC and Delta are urging parents and caregivers to immediately stop using cribs that are missing a safety peg. Delta is offering a free repair kit, which includes pegs in a bold color and warning labels to be affixed to the mattress board.
That's the short-term response to a specific recall, but there are bigger and more widespread safety issues currently not addressed, according to the CPSC. A staff report recommends beefing up crib performance requirements. The Commission is expected to issue an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking regarding design and durability standards. This would mean a long hard look at hardware systems, assembly and instructional problems, wood quality and strength.
Manufacturers would be asked for their input and it's unclear what would result.
Industry representatives say everyone wants the same thing-namely safe cribs for babies.
However, some beg the question, "how safe is safe enough"? Retailers, tired of posting recall notices above their cash registers, say they want reliable cribs they can sell. Some say it's a matter of economics, "buyers get what they pay for" and more expensive cribs are just made better.
Even in tough economic times, loving parents and caregivers will not deliberately buy an unsafe crib or a flimsy one. However, they may be more inclined to purchase one that's used or accept a hand-me-down. And that means even if there are new, tougher safety regulations, there will still be a lot of old, questionable cribs out there and in use.
And here's the rub. Once a crib is assembled, parents and caregivers tend to forget about it and fail to check it periodically for loose or missing parts. Vigilance is vital.
Parents Should:
-Inspect and tighten hardware from time to time to keep the crib sturdy.
-Make sure the drop side or any other moving part operates smoothly on its track.
-Inspect sides and corners for disengagement, which can create a gap and entrapment
-Hazard.
Parents should NOT:
-Make repairs without manufacturer approved hardware or with tape, wire, or rope.
-Put a broken side against the wall, which can prove even more hazardous.
Believe it or not, and as counter-intuitive as it may seem, these last two do go unheeded. And that is another reason "the bough breaks."
If you want to check on the crib in your house: