Attention all parents! The day is finally here!
As of Tuesday, June 28th, the drop-side crib ban is in FULL EFFECT! According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and their research, the cribs are responsible for 150 suffocation and strangulation deaths between 2007 and 2010.
READ FULL REPORT HERE
Last year, in July 2010, the CPSC voted unanimously to overhaul the rules governing crib safety. This type of move hasn't happened in nearly 30 years!
Here's the low down!
NOW! Manufacturers AND retailers must make and sell only compliant cribs beginning Wednesday, June 29th.
There is an exception to the rule though for some.
Rental cribs that are available in hotels, child care centers, and furniture rental companies have until December 2012 to comply with the new rules.
Here are the NEW STANDARDS!
* Ban drop-side construction altogether.
* Mattress supports will be stronger.
* The strength of the "slats" on cribs will be stronger.
* More "durable" and less likely to "fail."
* Crib safety testing will be more "rigorous."
"I am very pleased that the new mandatory crib standards will stop the manufacture and sale of dangerous traditional drop-side cribs and will vastly improve the structural integrity of cribs," said CPSC chairman Inez M. Tenenbaum said in a statement. "Parents can now shop for a crib with confidence."
There is a Q&A for parents published by the CPSC on their drop-side crib information page.
So what does mean to those of you who own a drop-side crib?
Under the new laws and regulations, families should NOT sell or donate a drop-side crib, even if it's been "fixed" to not "drop-down." If you own one, you're being asked to disassemble and discard the crib instead.
