To keep your baby safe when she’s sleeping, it’s best to buy a crib with stationary sides. Compared to drop-sided cribs, stationary-sided cribs don’t have drop sides or moving parts that can be installed incorrectly or possibly malfunction while in use. But it turns out that they can have stationary sides that can be installed incorrectly.
Amidst the recent rash of crib recalls–over 2 million cribs with top brand names such as LaJobi (Bona Vita, Babi Italia and ISSI), Simmons, Jardine, Delta (Jenny Lind) and Delta–were recalled on June 24, 2010–40,000 to 50,000 of them were stationary cribs by Childcraft. (The rest were drop-sided cribs.)
The stationary side on these Childcraft cribs can be assembled upside down, but look like they’re installed correctly, leaving a hazardous five-inch gap at the top of the crib. Infants or toddlers can become entrapped in this gap (see photo, below, of what the dangerous gap looks like), which can lead to entrapment, strangulation or other injuries.
These cribs were sold at Babies ‘R Us and other stores nationwide between January 1998 and June 2009 for between $600 and $650.
What to Do:
The remedy for this crib is to examine it immediately and determine whether you’ve assembled it properly. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says that the best way to do this is to measure the gap between the front and back sides of the crib and the dowel that runs parallel to the sides. The gap should be no more than two and three eighths inches (2 3/8″). If the gap is greater than 2 3/8″, the side has been installed upside-down and needs to be re-assembled. Another indicator that the side has been installed improperly is the appearance of the barrel nut. The barrel nut should be at the bottom of the side, not the top. If either of these conditions are present, the side of the crib has been installed upside-down and needs to be re-assembled so that the barrel nut is not visible from the top and the gap between the dowel and the side is no greater than two and three eighths inches (2 3/8″).
If you’ve installed this crib incorrectly, you should also contact Foundations Worldwide, Inc. toll-free at (866) 614-0557 anytime, or visit the firm’s website at www.cribsafetyinfo.com to obtain instructions and decals to affix to the stationary sides of the crib to ensure proper assembly in the future.
- Mind the gap!
To check to see if your stationary or drop-side crib was part of the recall, visit www.cpsc.gov asap, and take the necessary steps they recommend to fix the problem and keep your baby safe. Remember, even though your baby is sleeping, he can get into a lot of trouble just by hanging out in his crib. It’s still the safest sleeping environment for babies, though.
