Yes Virginia There Is A Way To Make A Safer Drop Side Crib || ZRecommends: Consumer research, consumer advocacy, and unbiased product reviews for parents

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Yes, Virginia, there is a way to make a safer drop side crib

By Jeremiah | July 30, 2009 | 5 comments / Comment now

Photo by valentinapowers, shared via Flickr.

We contacted the great folks at child safety advocacy group Kids In Danger about the voluntary ban on drop-side cribs that was approved by the industry standards group ASTM in the spring. The nonprofit had a representative on the ASTM committee that made the decision, and we asked KID why a standard couldn't have been developed that made drop-side crib designs safer. According to KID's Nancy A. Cowles, they worked to get approval of a workable standard that would have improved drop-side cribs rather than banning them outright. In response to our query, Cowles wrote:

We believe the UL [Underwriters Laboratories] standard, developed with input from many sources and including rigorous tests, would go far in making cribs on the market - including drop side cribs - safer. UL’s ‘racking’ test would simulate the use a crib gets in real life and be more likely to identify durability issues and hardware failures. However, since publishing the standard, UL has been unable to get any manufacturer to agree to test their cribs using this stringent standard. So we supported the move to require four fixed sides at the last ASTM meeting because without rigorous testing that the manufacturers seem unwilling to undergo, it is the best way to keep babies safe in cribs.

You can return to our previous posts on the drop-side ban to read comments from parents who do or don't see the need for them (so let's not rehash that here!), or to get the full backstory. But I'd like to reprint a bit of what we said there, in light of the very helpful information from the experts at Kids In Danger.

In our March 21 post "The Drop-Side Crib Ban: Is There More Than Meets The Eye?" we wrote:

[T]he proposal of an outright elimination of drop-side cribs from ASTM standards - essentially saying that no drop-side crib design can meet a reputable safety standard - has us scratching our heads. There seem to be some unanswered questions in the dance ASTM and the CPSC are doing on this issue.

Is the problem some inherent flaw in drop side designs generally, as the ASTM's move implies, or cheap drop sides with plastic hardware, as the CPSC's letters suggest?

If the issue is one of quality, what does it say about the members of the ASTM F15.18 committee - which likely includes representatives from every company with an interest in infant cribs, i.e. everyone who makes them - that they would prefer an outright ban on the design than mandated quality improvements?

What sort of benefits might accrue to manufacturers who rely on the low end of the market to ban designs that can only be produced well at a higher cost? In other words, if higher standards for drop sides required more expensive parts and better design, would manufacturers who relied on a high volume of cheap cribs be put at a competitive disadvantage? Could these manufacturers, voting as a bloc, make a tactical decision to eliminate this portion of the market rather than abandon it to their higher-quality competitors?

Case closed.

Categories: baby gear, CPSC, cribs, safety

1. AJsMomma [7/30/09]

These are the exact kinds of posts that make you and Jenni NOT a review blog. You are consumer reporters. I appreciate the time, effort and energy that you put into your posts. Thank you.

(I just returned from Babies R Us returning our Nuby teething rings...after twenty minutes of the sales associate attempting to locate the recall information online, I just used your website to track it down...he he he. You guys are the best!)

2. Erin [7/31/09]

The thing that these manufacturers are missing is that some mothers have bad backs and would pay extra for a safe drop side crib. We went with the Pacific Rim cribs because of the relatively safe materials and the single drop side. We could have paid quite a bit less but we felt we needed both traits in a crib and trust that company to make quality products.

3. Anna [8/04/09]

Well, there’s no way I’m ever getting rid of my drop-side crib. I paid good money for it and I’ll save it for my grandkids if need be. All of this is just ridiculous.

4. michele [10/03/09]

I lost my son in 1997 in a drop side deathtrap. He is one of over 100 babies who died in several different types of drop sides. There is no safe design. Hardware is hardware and it fails. I will continue my efforts to ban the design. Anna...I’d much rather be suffering from a bad back instead of a broken soul.

5. Jeremiah [10/03/09]

Michele, I am very sorry to hear of your loss, and we appreciate your stopping by to share your views. We are strong advocates for child safety, but do not find it as self-evident as you do that it is impossible to produce a safe drop-side crib, as we have suggested in this and other articles.

We have not heard such high numbers of reported deaths - in the last few years there appear to have been five or less, unless we have miscounted. But the CPSC’s online records only go back a few years. Can you please tell me where your figure of over 100 deaths comes from? What do you think of the relatively small number of deaths in the past few years - does this indicate an improvement in the manufacturing or assembly of drop-side cribs, or something else?

Do you also oppose cribs with sides that fold down, using a hinged portion at the top of the front side? This seems to pose a new problem, namely that children who can pull up to a standing position have a foothold to climb up over the side of the crib. Do you have any thoughts or statistics on this design as an alternative for parents with back problems?

Also, we have heard that the ASTM approval process is being held up in part by an individual who believes they have a new, safer design for drop sides. I wonder if you are familiar with the design, and if you believe it too cannot produce a sufficiently safe product?

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