CARLY WEEKS
From Wednesday's Globe and Mail Published on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2008 9:24AM EDT Last updated on Tuesday, Mar. 31, 2009 9:01PM EDT
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a major recall yesterday of more than 1.5 million cribs following the suffocation deaths of two eight-month-old babies.
Health Canada said the cribs were not available for sale in this country, which means the department will not conduct a safety recall. However, it's possible that Canadians who shopped across the border may have the affected items in their homes.
Two groups of drop-side cribs produced by Delta Enterprises are being recalled because some of the parts could malfunction and create a potentially deadly hazard to infants.
About 985,000 drop-side cribs are being recalled to replace missing safety pegs that could cause the crib's locks to disengage and leave a gap that could entrap a baby or toddler and lead to suffocation. One eight-month-old suffocated after the drop side detached in a crib that did not have safety pegs installed. Two other babies became entrapped, but didn't die, in cribs that had safety pegs missing.
A further 600,000 cribs are being recalled because the drop side can become detached when the spring pegs are not engaged, also creating gaps that could lead to suffocation. The U.S. agency has received one report of another eight-month-old who died when the side of the crib became detached. Another child became entrapped, but didn't die, in a similar crib.
Cribs can pose numerous risks to infants if they do not meet safety standards or aren't assembled properly. The majority of companies follow strict crib safety guidelines, but some parents may use cribs purchased from garage sales or handed down from family members, which could increase the potential dangers, according to Denis Leduc, a community pediatrician in Montreal and past president of the Canadian Paediatric Society.
"They're quite old and ... [may] not have been scrutinized at all by the safety standards," Dr. Leduc said. "Bedding generally is so important for babies in the first six months of life that that can't be compromised really."
Although Canada has developed rigorous standards to ensure crib bedding, rails, bars and other features are safe, parents must ensure they have been assembled correctly and check them often to see that all of the pieces remain tightly in place.
The company has set up a website, deltacribrecall.com, to provide parents with detailed information about the recall.
Join the Discussion: