Baby cribs haven’t changed much in the past 30 years, but that’s about to change. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) voted unanimously to approve new mandatory standards for full-size and non-full-size baby cribs, ushering in a safer generation of cribs.
The new regulations are a response to dangers posed by current crib designs. Since 2000, CPSC has recalled more than 11 million dangerous cribs, and at least 32 infants have suffocated as the result of drop-side rails. Additional deaths have occurred due to faulty or defective hardware
Once they become effective in June 2011, the mandatory crib standards will:
- stop the manufacture and sale of dangerous, traditional drop-side cribs;
- make mattress supports stronger;
- make crib hardware more durable;
- make safety testing more rigorous.
Effective June 2011, cribs manufactured, sold, or leased in the United States must comply with the new federal standards. Effective 24 months after the rule is published, child care facilities, such as family child care homes and infant Head Start centers, and places of public accommodation, such as hotels and motels, must have compliant cribs in their facilities.
To read the government’s “Final Rules” regarding the cribs, click here: Federal Register
To learn more about crib safety, click here: CPSC Crib Information Center
We applaud every step taken to help keep children safe. This is one change that is long overdue.
