Your Used Crib Could Be Deadly
A used crib, those manufactured
before 1990, may be unsafe and very dangerous for your baby. Each year, about 50 babies suffocate or are
strangled when they become trapped between broken crib parts or in cribs with older and
unsafe designs.
A safe crib is the best place to put
your baby to sleep. Look for a crib with a
certification showing that it meets voluntary national safety standards that were adopted
in 1988. A safe crib has:
- No missing, loose, broken or improperly installed screws,
brackets or other hardware on the crib or the mattress support.
- No more than 2-3/8 inches between crib slates so a baby’s head
and body cannot fit through the slats.
- No corner posts over 1/16th of an inch above the end
panels so a baby cannot catch clothing and strangle.
Exception: corner posts may be over 16 inches high for a canopy.
- No cut out areas on the headboard or footboard so a baby’s head
cannot get trapped.
- No cracked or peeling paint (to prevent lead poisoning).
- No splinters or rough edges.
- A firm, well-supported, snug-fitting mattress that does not easily
pull apart from the sides or corner posts, so a baby cannot get trapped between the
mattress and the sides of the crib.
If your crib does not meet these
guidelines, destroy it and replace it with a safe crib.
The Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) has a list of all recalled
cribs, as well as other baby consumer products, available through their website: www.cpsc.gov
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