3/8/2010

Growing Number of Crib Recalls

The recall of about 1 million Kolcraft play yards on July 8, 2009, was only the most recent in a series of crib, bassinet, and play yard recalls totaling almost 2.5 million units since the start of 2009. The large number of recalls for children’s sleeping products in the first half of 2009 is alarming, and parents must regularly check children’s products against the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s recall list to keep the sleeping environment as safe as possible.

“All parents should do two things immediately: check www.recalls.gov to make sure your child’s crib, bassinet or play yard has not been recalled and then sign up for the CPSC’s email list to be alerted to new recalls as they are announced,” said Debora Regan, Safe Kids North Central Florida Coordinator.

If a parent or caregiver is going to use a second-hand crib from a friend, relative, or yard sale, Safe Kids North Central Florida encourages them to first check and see if that model has been recalled for safety reasons. “The danger to infants and young children caused by recalled products is a danger that we as parents and child safety advocates can combat, at least partially, by increasing our own awareness. Manufacturers of sleep environment products should also pay attention to the special durability needs of cribs, bassinets, and play yards,” adds Debora Regan.

The crib, bassinet, and play yard units that have been recalled this year posed serious hazards for children including entrapment, suffocation, strangulation, fall, and asphyxiation. Sleep products included in recalls this year are:

• January 6, 2009 – Jardine Cribs – 56,450 units
• January 13, 2009 – Stork Craft Baby Cribs – 535,000 units
• January 15, 2009 – Fisher-Price Simplicity Rainforest Portable Play Yards – 200,000 units
• April 2, 2009 – SunKids Convertible Cribs – 1,900 units
• April 7, 2009 – Simplicity Play Yards – 25,000 units
• April 30, 2009– Jardine Cribs – 96,000 units
• May 13, 2009 – Eddie Bauer Play Yards with Rocking Bassinets – 71,000 units
• June 9, 2009 – LaJobi Drop-Side Cribs – 2,900 units
• June 9, 2009 – LaJobi Drop-Side Cribs – 2,000 units
• July 2, 2009 – Simplicity Drop-Side Cribs – 400,000 units
• July 8, 2009 – Kolcraft Play Yards – 1,000,000 units

“We want to avoid the situation where a child is injured or killed because a product wasn’t removed from their environment as soon as it was recalled,” said Debora Regan. “Our hope is that once parents become more aware of the product recall system and how to obtain the most recent product safety information, tragic injuries and deaths caused by defective products can be avoided.”

For information on product recalls as well as tips on crib and sleep safety from Safe Kids USA, please visit www.usa.safekids.org and click on “product recalls.”