Dangers of Drop Side – Cribs
The Dangers of Drop – Side Cribs
The theory of the drop – side crib sounds good in practice – but in real life it is just not a very good idea in any respect.
For starters, it is really not that difficult to put your hand down and get your baby out of your crib. I suppose if the parents aren’t very tall it may produce a slight difference – however, almost all cribs feature a mattress adjustment where you can move the entire mattress platform up or down to raise the height at which your baby sleeps. This is not merely safer for the baby, it is also healthier for your back. Using a drop – down side rail on the crib is often a serious hazard for a baby and in some cases has caused infant death!
When you stop to think about this for even a minute you will comprehend how easily this can happen. Most drop – down rail crib systems utilize a type of plastic sliding mechanism and a simple plastic tab that locks the rail into its uppermost raised position. There’s no need for a rocket scientist to understand that plastic is flexible and never very sturdy.
Imagine if your small child starts squirming around in his or her crib in the middle of the night, resulting in them putting their arm through the side rail and the side rail (which is supported by that little plastic tab) slides down and traps your baby’s arm between the mattress and the top of the rail. This might not appear to be a death sentence until you can imagine that your baby’s face is now buried into your mattress, a stuffed animal or perhaps a pillow, and the resulting outcome starts becoming a bit more gruesome. Smaller children are simply not able to lift the rail or pull themselves loose out of their trapped position. In that challenge of gettting loose they would become tired and at some point fall asleep, with their face buried in the pillow or stuffed animal and suffocate.
This is an awful thing to even consider, and it is quite difficult to write about as well. There is an urgent need, however, to make parents understand the actual dangers in drop rail cribs and hopefully convince them to purchase a crib without a drop rail. There are many options in the marketplace that don’t even offer a drop rail system because the manufacturer understands the dangers. While these cribs usually cost a little more, they’re also usually built to last for ages and would make a great family heirloom to leave for generations to come. The key reason why they cost more (and the primary reason why they last such a long time) is simply because they’re real furniture without any plastic or other movable parts.
Many parents have chosen not to make use of the drop – side crib system anyway, so there’s really no point in taking a risk on a feature that you’ll be unlikely to take advantage of at all.
More from the Blogosphere
More drop-side cribs recalled after 3 deaths – The Mom Blog
Consumer advocates have complained for years about the problems associated with drop side cribs.
Canada Follows US’s Footsteps, Recalls Drop-Side Cribs
The recalled cribs carry the name "Generation 2 Worldwide" or "ChildESIGNS".
Another baby dies in a drop-side crib
Still, Dorel decided to minimize the recall and blame the family.
Drop-Side Cribs Ban Moves Forward
This week I heard from a mom-to-be who was surprised that she couldn’t find a drop-side crib in the stores where she was shopping for her new baby.
Another Drop-Side Crib Company Recalls Cribs
Consumer Product Safety officials warn there is no fix for these recalled drop-side cribs.
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Tags: Drop Side Cribs, Organic Diapers