July/Aug. 2011 - Your Infant: Keeping Babies Safe Started From a Crib Tragedy
New Federal Crib Safety Laws Took Effect June 28, 2011
Staff Report
June 28, 2011 was a monumental day in baby safety as new federal regulations went into affect concerning the manufacture and sale of cribs after years of discussion. It marked the first material update to laws concerning cribs in over 30 years.
Effective June 28th, manufacturers and retailers have to comply with the new standards – old inventory of cribs can no longer be sold, according to Casey Welch of Just for Baby in Savannah. This includes stores that sell used furniture, or individuals selling their cribs individually.
Many stores, such as Just for Baby, stopped ordering cribs that did not comply more than two years ago. And a number of manufacturers have been selling kits to fix cribs that do not meet new standards. Parents can spend up to a thousand dollars on a crib and often keep cribs for many years, as well as passing them on to family members and friends.
However, hotels, daycare centers, and other similar types of facilities will have until December 2012 to comply, and parents should be aware of this, Welch suggests.
The national organization "Keeping Babies Safe applauds these new standards and is proud to have played a part in their enactment," according to Joyce Davis, president of Keeping Babies Safe.
The new crib regulations include the stopping of the manufacture and sale of drop-side cribs; making mattress supports stronger; improving slat strength; making crib hardware more durable; and making safety testing more rigorous by manufacturers distributing in the United States.
Keeping Baby Safe (KBS) also played a significant role in influencing lawmakers to mandate these new crib safety laws. "KBS has worked integrally with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) in representing the consumer's perspective in the new law," according to Jack Walsh, Director Emeritus of KBS and a crib safety expert. KBS has successfully lobbied Congress for stronger crib laws on drop-side cribs and better legislation to regulate manufactures of cribs to ensure that every baby sleeps in a safe environment.
Joyce Davis lost her son Garret when he suffocated in a supplemental mattress used in a crib that was advertised as suitable for that particular brand of crib. She has made it her mission to help families avoid the loss she has endured by ensuring that credible crib safety information is available to all parents.
While the accomplishments in the field of child product safety have been remarkable, KBS felt there was much to be done, specifically in the general area of safe sleep environments. Congress drafted a bill that covered cribs and most juvenile products. The CPSC was responsible for implementing the bill, and KBS worked integrally with the CPSC and the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) in representing the consumer's perspective in the new law. The bill lists Garret's name as a real life example of a tragedy caused by an unsafe crib. The new safety standards aim to keep children safer in cribs and prevent injury or death resulting from detaching crib drop-sides, or defective hardware.
KBS, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and CPSC have combined efforts to create "Safe Sleep For Babies" videos and safety tips which KBS is making available to the general public, hospitals and health and human service agencies nationwide. This critical safety information is available on keepingbabiessafe.org to help guide parents through the do's and don'ts of how to maintain a safe nursery and crib environment.
"Parents need to know what a safe crib is and parents can't assume that just because one baby 'had no problem' with a crib that it is automatically safe for future use," says Joyce. She recommends the Following Safety Tips:
• If you have a drop side crib you should get rid of it and dispose of it properly so no one can use it. To disassemble a drop side crib correctly, throw out all the loose parts and screws in a bag along with one slat. Wait a week before you discard the rest of the crib so the crib cannot be reassembled.
• If traveling, call the hotel/motel ahead of time to find out the crib make and model they provide. Do they have crib sheets? Many hotels, for example, don't have crib bed sheets. Many use twin bed sheets in a crib and this is not safe. Inspect the crib to make sure it's durable and there are no missing or loose parts. If it's a portable play yard they should not use any supplemental mattress. If it's a crib, the mattress should fit properly in the crib. You cannot assume the hotel, day care facility or rental company will have the safest cribs, or non-recalled cribs, she adds. These facilities have another 18 months (Dec. 28, 2012) to comply with this legislation.
Keeping Babies Safe (www.keepingbabiessafe.org) is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides education, assistance and leadership in keeping babies safe from preventable injuries associated with unsafe cribs and unsafe sleep environments. Keeping Babies Safe offers the most reliable crib and sleep safety information, product recall information and safety tips so parents can stay informed and keep their children safe.
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