Q & A on the new crib safety standards: what does it mean for you?

On December 15, 2010, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) adopted new rules that set strong mandatory standards for cribs and portable cribs. These new standards are now the strongest in the world and will provide assurance to parents that when they buy a new crib; it will keep their child safe. This Q&A attempts to answer questions parents and caregivers may have regarding these ground-breaking rules.

Q. Why do we need a new crib standard?

A. Following recent years of recalls of millions of cribs due to entrapment deaths and injuries, the new standards will ensure that new cribs have been tested for safety to rigorous standards. Many babies were killed or injured in unsafe cribs.

Q. What do the new standards cover?

A. The new rules put many new tests and requirements in place:

• Cribs with full side drop-sides will not be allowed -- the bottom 20" of the crib rail must be fixed to eliminate the entrapment hazards seen when the hardware fails.
• All cribs must undergo rigorous testing for slat strength, durability and mattress support strength. The series of testing is conducted on one crib to simulate a life-time of use. This is the key to the new standard. Most of the 10 million cribs recalled since 2007 were able to meet the weak industry standards that were in place.
• Warnings and labeling have been improved, both to make parents more aware of when a crib is mis-assembled and to alert them to developmental signs to stop using a crib (when the child attempts to climb out). While most attention has been rightly focused on entrapment deaths in cribs, most injuries are as a result of children falling out of cribs.

Q. What types of cribs do these standards and rules cover?

A. The new standards include two sets of similar rules: one for full-size cribs and one for non-full-size cribs. Non-full-size cribs can be smaller, larger or a different shape than a full-size crib, which is a standardized shape and size. The rules do not cover mesh sided play yards or portable cribs, only those with rigid sides such as wood or metal cribs. CPSC will be developing a standard for play yards, but it won’t apply to child care as these do.

Q. What is the timing of all these requirements?

A. The new crib standards will be effective in six months. At this time, new and used cribs for sale will have to meet the standards. Then, child care providers and hotels and other public accommodations will have an additional 18 months to replace their non-compliant cribs. By January 2013, all child care facilities should have compliant and safe cribs. Many providers will be able to comply sooner.

Q. I have a drop-side crib at home. Will it be illegal now to use it?

A. No, the new rules have no impact on use of your own cribs at home. However, it will be illegal to sell older model cribs after the effective date in six months. Here is some information on what to do if you are using a drop-side or other older model crib at home:

First, check the list at CPSC.gov and make sure your crib hasn’t been recalled – millions have. Check the list carefully –cribs might be known by a name other than their brand name, or made by one company and sold under another name. If it doubt, get the model name and number and manufacturer and call CPSC to confirm. If it has been recalled, follow the recall instructions to get a repair kit, replace the crib or receive a refund.

If your crib is not recalled, check all the hardware and plastic parts to make sure it is all tight and there are no broken, cracked or missing pieces. The crib should feel sturdy when you shake it and you should not be able to lower the drop-side by any means other than the manufacturer’s instructed method. If your crib shows any breakage or you can move the drop-side without following the correct method, STOP using the crib. Call the company for replacement parts and do not use the crib until new parts are correctly installed. If the crib doesn’t have replacement parts, stop using it and call both the company and CPSC to report the breakage. Never attempt to fix the crib yourself without the correct hardware and instructions from the manufacturer.

If your crib has no broken, cracked or missing parts and feels sturdy, continue to use it until the child can transition to a bed, but stop using the drop-side mechanism and check frequently – at least once a week -- for loose, broken, cracked or missing hardware or parts. However, do not use the crib for a subsequent child or hand it down since assembly and disassembly of a drop-side crib can increase the risk of failure. It may be worth the peace of mind to purchase a new crib.

Q. I’m short (or have a bad back) and think a fixed side crib will make it too difficult for me to care for my baby. What are my options?

A. Many new cribs are lower to the ground and easier to reach into to pick up or lay down your baby. Another option is a drop-gate cribs in which just the top section of the side rail folds down, allowing easier access. And if you feel you do need a stool for access, consider using a wide stable step such as those for step aerobics classes.

Q. My crib has been recalled or I just don't feel safe using it anymore. What is a safe sleeping arrangement for my baby until I get a new crib?

A. First, if your baby is still under 5 months and not yet rolling over or pushing up on her hands and knees, you can use a safe bassinet. For older babies, a safe (not recalled) portable mesh crib or 'pack and play' is a good alternative. And finally, toddlers can be safely moved to a mattress on the floor or a toddler bed. In fact, many injuries in cribs happen when toddlers attempt to crawl out, so it might be time to make the move anyway. Unsafe sleep arrangements include couches, chairs, soft bedding or with siblings or others in a an adult bed.

For a link to a PDF of this Q&A, click here.

CPSC adopts world's toughest crib standards

Following recent years of recalls of millions of cribs due to entrapment deaths and injuries, the new standards, which become mandatory in six months, will ensure that new cribs have been tested for safety to rigorous standards.

The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), signed into law in August of 2008, requires CPSC to issue mandatory standards for infant durable products. This provision of the CPSIA was named in honor and in memory of Danny Keysar. Danny was sixteen months-old when he died in his Chicago childcare home because a portable crib collapsed around his neck. The CPSIA requires mandatory standards and testing for durable infant and toddler products, product registration cards and a ban on the sale or lease of unsafe cribs. Cribs are among the first products for which mandatory standards have been promulgated under this provision.

“This new mandatory standard, the strongest in the world, will ensure that new cribs coming onto the market will provide safe haven for babies and their families,” stated Nancy Cowles, Executive Director of Kids In Danger. “We applaud CPSC for their hard work and tenacity in developing and adopting this landmark rule.”

“Parents and caregivers should have peace of mind that when they leave their baby in a crib that their baby will be safe. For too long that has not been the case,” stated Rachel Weintraub, Director of Product Safety and Senior Counsel for Consumer Federation of America. “We congratulate CPSC for shepherding this strong and much needed consumer protection.”

The new rule puts many new tests and requirements in place:

• Cribs with full side drop-sides will not be allowed -- the bottom 20" of the crib rail must be fixed to eliminate the entrapment hazards seen when the hardware fails.
• All cribs must undergo rigorous testing for slat strength, durability and mattress support strength. The series of testing is conducted on one crib to simulate a life-time use of a crib. This is the key to the new standard. Most of the 10 million cribs recalled since 2007 were able to meet the weak industry standards that were in place.
• Warnings and labeling have been improved, both to make parents more aware of when a crib is mis-assembled and to alert them to developmental signs to stop using a crib (when the child attempts to climb out). While most attention has been rightly focused on entrapment deaths in cribs, most injuries are as a result of children falling out of cribs.

The new requirements are mostly part of the ASTM International voluntary standard that has been adapted to serve as the CPSC mandatory rule. Over the past two years industry, consumer advocates and safety experts have worked feverishly to update the voluntary standard to provide real assurances of a safe product. Prior to the recent rewrite, the most recent significant changes to the voluntary standard were made in 1999. The CPSC mandatory standard was last changed in 1982. The new standards include two sets of similar rules: one for full-size cribs and one for non-full-size cribs. Non-full-size cribs can be smaller, larger or a different shape than a full-size crib, which is a standardized shape and size.

“The lack of durability of recently produced cribs is appalling and has put many babies at risk,” said Don Mays, senior director of product safety and technical policy for Consumers Union/Consumer Reports. “These new regulations will ensure safe sleep environments by raising the bar for the safety and quality of cribs.”

For the first time, this mandatory rule promulgated by CPSC applies to products already in use by some entities as well as to new products. Efforts will begin immediately to remove older unsafe products off store shelves, out of child care homes, and out of hotels. The CPSIA includes a section requiring that cribs that don't meet the new standard can't be sold -- new or used, used in child care, used by hotel guests, or used in other public accommodations. This measure alone will go far in removing unsafe cribs from use. This does not apply to already purchased cribs being used in private homes, except for barring their resale.

Six months after the publication of the standard, all cribs on the market must be in compliance. The Commission voted to give child care facilities and hotels an additional 18 months after that date to replace any non-compliant cribs. CPSC has indicated that cribs currently being manufactured and tested that meet the new standard can continue to be used, even though their sale took place prior to the new rule being official.

“After years of foot dragging by the industry, CPSC has now approved a standard and testing regimen that will keep children safe – avoiding the crib recalls, entrapment deaths and injuries that have plagued the industry,” said Elizabeth Hitchcock of US Public Interest Research Group.

Next week: ASTM standards committee meetings on juvenile products

Next week for five days, manufacturers, testing labs, regulators and a few consumer advocates will meet in suburban Philadelphia to discuss standards for juvenile products -- cribs, strollers, high chairs and many others. This is the twice-annual meeting of the ASTM International subcommittees on juvenile products. Each product type group meets to review changes to the standard, analyze incident data to look for injury trends or possible design flaws, and -- because of the CPSIA -- discuss developing each voluntary standard into a document on which CPSC can base the new mandatory standards.

This month, the group will be finalizing the first standard for sling infant carriers and holding the first meeting of a group to develop a standard for crib mattresses. KID has been participating in the ASTM process since 2000. One of only a handful of consumer representatives, we sometimes have to work to get our voice heard, but have seen progress in the decade we have worked on ASTM standards. We urge other consumer organizations or advocates to consider joining ASTM and adding your voice to the process.

The voluntary standard setting activities of ASTM will benefit greatly from the new public database launching in March 2011. Earlier access to injury data and the ability to look for patterns in injury data that can be addressed through standards will lead to stronger standards that can more nimbly react to incidents. This year's Nursery Product Report from CPSC showed a jump in emergency room visits linked to juvenile products. That information, combined with the new database will give ASTM the information they need to improve product safety.

Have a product related concern that you would like ASTM to consider? Email KID and we'll bring that along with us next week.

CPSC approves mandatory baby walker standard

When the CPSIA passed and was signed in 2008, one of the biggest changes was the section (named after KID's founders' son Danny Keysar) that required mandatory standards for durable infant and toddler products. From the time of Danny's death in 1998, his parents and KID have repeatedly said that what is needed is independent testing to strong mandatory standards before a product can be sold. Parents assume that when they go to the store to buy a nursery product, someone, somewhere has made sure it is safe. With these new standards and testing requirements in place, that is starting to be true.

So following the bath seat standard announced last month, the CPSC now has approved a new mandatory standard for baby walkers, improving the voluntary standard with additional requirements for stair testing and parking brake testing.

As they pointed out in their statement, the voluntary standard had already reduced injuries from falls in walkers significantly. Unlike other standards, CPSC had already been recalling walkers that didn't meet the voluntary standard.

But even with this standard in place and safer walkers, KID, along with the American Academy of Pediatrics and others, recommends against their use. There are developmental issues as well as lingering safety concerns. When a child can move much more quickly and reach higher than their age would indicate, they can still find danger -- reaching a hot pot on the stove, falling down stairs (still happens -- just take a look at the injury data from CPSC), or getting into other trouble. Tummy time on the floor, a stationary entertainer or other options are safer.

Consumer groups, including KID, applaud the first new mandatory standard -- bath seats

As we mentioned in our earlier post, CPSC voted 5-0 to publish the first mandatory standard required by the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008. Consumer groups applauded the action, while still noting the particular dangers of bath seats, in a release yesterday. Read the statement here at Consumer Federation of America's website.