The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), with the cooperation of seven firms, announced voluntary recalls of more than 2.1 million cribs to address drop-side hazards and other hazards as it continues its campaign to crack down on crib safety.

CPSC reported that it received more than 275 consumer complaints with the products, including about 50 reports of incidents in which children became entrapped or fell from their cribs. Most of these incidents resulted in no or minor injuries.

The recalling firms have each agreed to provide consumers with free repair kits to immobilize the drop sides or other remedies. CPSC urged consumers to "not attempt to fix these cribs with homemade remedies." 
 
The drop-side and fixed-side crib recalls announced today are of units manufactured between 2000 and 2009 by the companies following companies: 

• Child Craft, (this former Indiana-based firm is out of business), 40,000+ units;
• Delta Enterprise Corp. of New York, NY, 747,000 units;
• Evenflo of Miamisburg, OH, 750,000 units;
• Jardine Enterprises of Taipei, Taiwan, 130,000 units;
• LaJobi of Cranbury, NJ, 306,000 units;
• Million Dollar Baby of Montebello, CA, 156,000 units; and
• Simmons Juvenile Products Inc. (SJP) of New London, WI, 50,000 units.

“Cribs should be the safest place in the home for infants and toddlers,” said CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum. “CPSC is committed to addressing the hazards with cribs and to restoring parents’ confidence that their child will have a safe sleep.”

Last month, CPSC said it is aware of 32 infant and toddler suffocation and strangulation deaths, plus hundreds of incidents that were caused or related to drop-side cribs since 2000. In the last five years, CPSC has announced 11 recalls involving more than 7 million drop-side cribs due to suffocation and strangulation hazards created by the drop side.

CPSC said it continues to actively investigate various cribs for potential drop-side and other hazards as part of a larger effort by the agency to rid the marketplace and homes of unsafe cribs. CPSC staff is also working on a new mandatory standard to make cribs safer, which is targeted for completion in 2010.

The Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) has also launched a new crib safety initiative and a website: cribsafety.com. The listed manufacturers are providing free drop-side crib immobilization kits to prevent the drop side from detaching, plus replacement hardware and assembly instructions for cribs manufactured by participating firms.

JPMA issued a press release supporting the latest recalls. Michael Dwyer, CAE executive director of JPMA, said, "JPMA is dedicated to creating an awareness of the safest sleep environments for babies. We support the efforts of the CPSC and the JPMA member manufacturers who are providing a free immobilization device or other solutions for drop side cribs cited in today’s recall announcement. The seven companies cited in today’s voluntary recall want to give drop side crib owners a remedy to allay fears they may have with their crib."

Read the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's press release.

Read the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association's press release.