New Crib Safety Regulations

New Crib Safety Standards

After 30 years of having outdated standards, CPSC delivered on its promise and created the toughest crib safety standards in the world,

• Traditional drop-side cribs cannot be made or sold; immobilizers and repair kits not allowed.
• Wood slats must be made of stronger woods to prevent breakage.
• Crib hardware must have anti- loosening devices to keep it from coming loose or falling off.
• Mattress supports must be more durable.
• Safety testing must be more rigorous. — Consumer Product Safety Commission

Drop-side cribs are now illegal to sell. As well as stationary side cribs not tested by the new standards.

As of June 28, the safer crib design was the only one approved for sale in stores, online, even at yard sales.

The ban affects the manufacture, sale and resale of drop-side cribs, which have a side rail that can be raised and lowered to allow parents to place or lift a baby on the mattress without back strain. They have been blamed in the deaths of several dozen children who most often have suffocated or been strangled after being caught in some of the drop side gaps. Another significant part of the new federal standard mandates more rigorous safety tests for children’s cribs before they hit the market. In the past, manufacturers were allowed to
retighten screws and bolts on a crib in the middle of hardware testing meant to mimic how a child might rattle a crib by jumping up and down or shaking a rail.

“After 30 years of having outdated standards, CPSC delivered on its promise and created the toughest crib safety standards in the world,” Commission Chairman Inez Tenenbaum told The Associated Press. “Parents can now shop for a crib with confidence.”

New cribs on the market won’t really look different. All four sides will be fixed and the cribs should be sturdier because of the tougher testing requirements.

The second-hand crib market, however, has been dampened by the regulation.

Drop-sides are blamed in the deaths of more than 30 infants and toddlers since 2000 and suspected in about a dozen other infant fatalities. Since 2007, more than 9 million drop-sides have been recalled.