Which cribs are unsafe

Cribs used today should be manufactured after June when the current safety standards banning the manufacture or sale of drop-side rail cribs became effective.

Though an antique crib may be beautiful and sentimental, if it doesn't meet modern safety standards, it should not be used. Cribs that do not meet safety standards should be destroyed or used for decorative purposes only.

If the older crib you were hoping to use is a drop-side crib, you should know about the warnings relate to the safety of this style of cribs. After more than twenty recalls affecting more than 4 million cribs since , CPSC created mandatory crib safety standards that included a ban on the manufacture of new drop-side cribs.

These standards, which went into effect in , replace the older voluntary safety recommendations manufacturers used in previous years. Some of the updated requirements include tougher testing, stronger hardware, sturdier slats, and better mattress supports.

However, not all of the safety issues with older or antique cribs lie with the manufacturers. CPSC and other crib safety organizations note that parents tend to keep cribs for a long time or resell them, meaning they get taken apart and re-assembled several times. Hardware wears out or loosens, pieces go missing, or the crib is put together incorrectly, and all of these things can lead to a crib failure, particularly when it comes to drop-side cribs.

If the drop-side breaks or loosens, it can create a gap where a baby can become entrapped. This style of the old crib can be particularly dangerous if it's moved and reassembled several times. Crib safety groups recommend against using old drop-side cribs or antique cribs because they do not meet today's crib safety standards. Old mattresses can pose safety concerns, too.

The mattress may be too soft or broken down, which could pose a suffocation risk. If it was made prior to federal sizing standards, it may not fit the crib frame. Improper mattress and crib compatibility could allow a baby to slip between the frame and the mattress—a type of entrapment that can be deadly.

A physically active child can loosen these structures, and the crib can collapse. Lead-free paint. Older cribs may have paint that is lead-based. Babies can get lead poisoning from chewing and gnawing on a crib with lead-based paint. Crib hazards Crib-related injuries also are caused by unsafe or improperly used accessories.

Make sure you: footnote 1 , footnote 1 , footnote 1 Use only mattresses designed for the crib. You should not be able to fit more than two fingers in the space between the mattress and crib. Also, remove any plastic covering from the mattress. Help prevent your child from falling out of the crib, the leading cause of crib injuries, by adjusting the mattress level as he or she grows.

Start lowering the mattress no later than when your child begins to sit with little help. Adjust the mattress to its lowest setting by the time your baby can stand. Keep cribs—as well as all other furniture and large objects—away from windows to prevent serious falls. Do not place the crib near drapes or blinds. Window cords can get wrapped around a child's neck. When your child is 90 cm 35 in. Remove mobiles and activity gyms from the crib by the time your child can push up on his or her hands and knees or is 5 months of age, whichever comes first.

These are strangulation hazards for children who can get on their hands and knees. Don't use bumper pads or other products that attach to crib slats or sides. They could suffocate or trap your baby. A new study finds that epidurals do not affect child development in their later years. A fetal arrhythmia is an irregular heart rate — too fast, too slow, or otherwise outside the norm. It's often benign. Postpartum diarrhea after a C-section is normal.

Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. What you should know about drop-side cribs? Crib: How to Decide. The Ultimate Baby Registry Checklist. Trying to Prep for Labor? Is It True? Read this next. All cribs manufactured after that date must comply with 5 new standards, and cribs manufactured before that date should not be bought, sold, or used. See the CPSC website for more information.

Cribs are responsible for more infant deaths than any other nursery product. In the last two decades, 1, children have died from crib related injuries. In , over 12, children were rushed to emergency rooms with injuries. Since then, crib recalls have decreased a great deal. In cribs were recalled three times, but this is still three too many. According to a CPSC report , between there were a total of deaths related to cribs and mattresses.

The types of hazards found in recalled cribs include drop-side and mattress support hardware failures that allowed portions of mattresses to fall or a gap to form, posing suffocation hazards to young children. Crib slats separating from headboards and gaps between side rails and crib mattress supports created additional entrapment hazards.