Caution Against Dangerous Cribs

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By Heather Reese

Summary

Problems with drop sides have lead to the recent recalls of more than a 1.5 million Delta cribs and more than 1 million Simplicity cribs.

Story Published: Jun 22, 2009 at 4:48 PM PST

Consumer Reports says there are lots of problems with cribs—especially ones with drop sides. The problem is that the hardware on drop-side cribs can fail, and that can open up a dangerous gap in which a child can get his head entrapped and possibly be strangled.

Problems with drop sides have lead to the recent recalls of more than a 1.5 million Delta cribs and more than 1 million Simplicity cribs. Toys "R" Us has announced it will no longer order drop-side cribs.

At this point, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced the recall of some 4 million cribs. You can check whether your crib is one of them by going to www.cpsc.gov/cribs.html.

With so many cribs being recalled, it's all the more important that consumers don't buy secondhand cribs.

Consumer Reports says instead parents should get a new, stationary-side crib with sides that don't drop. A good choice is the Ikea Leksvik. It's a Consumer Reports Best Buy at $160. And it rated excellent for safety.