After Babies' Deaths, Feds Ban Drop-Side Cribs, OK 'Strongest Crib Standard in the World'
Following the deaths of at least 32 babies since 2000 from falls or strangulation, the Federal Product Safety Commission today adopted new crib-safety specifications that one observer called the “strongest crib standard in the word.”
The new rules ban all drop-side cribs and impose tougher rules for crib slats and mattress supports, with the goal of eliminating gaps in which babies can become trapped and suffocate or strangle to death, according to Bloomberg and the Chicago Tribune.
The new rules, which take effect in about six months, will make it illegal to resell almost all current cribs, because they won’t meet the new standard, the Tribune says. They will require hotels and child care centers to replace their current cribs within two years.
“This is the strongest crib standard in the world,” Nancy Cowles of Kids in Danger tells the Trib. “It’s long overdue and so important for families.”
