Crib recall worries parents

SAFETY

Posted By NICKI CRUICKSHANK

Posted 2 months ago

The largest baby crib recall in Canadian history has many parents in a tizzy over the safety of their children.

At Kid's Closet in Barrie's south end, which sells new and used children's items, owner Cheryl Gauthier says she understands their fears.

"It's still a scary thing for parents to think about, having their child sleeping in that unsafe crib," she said, adding that her Bryne Drive store takes every precaution on cribs they buy and sell, especially used ones.

"With used cribs, parents want to go to a place that checks out every crib to ensure it's safe," Gauthier said. "We make sure they have all the pieces, the proper screws, no cracks or sharp edges and that no paint is flaking off."

A recall has been issued on more than two million drop-side cribs by Stork Craft, a Vancouverbased manufacturer, after the product was linked to the deaths of four children in the U. S.

The voluntary recall affects more than one million cribs in the U. S. and more than 960,000 in Canada, in addition to nearly 150,000 cribs donning the Fisher-Price logo on them.

The defect can cause the crib's one side to detach, making a space between the bars and the mattress that an infant or toddler could become trapped in.

"All cribs have to be built to the same government and safety standards, so there really isn't one crib that's safer than the others," Gauthier said. "Cribs are one of the very few areas in the children's departments that we see recalls in. Toys you see recalled all the time.

"A tip we suggest to parents is if you're re-using a crib for a second child, call the manufacturer or research that brand on the Internet, just make sure no recalls have been placed on it since your first child used it."

And when it's time to sell, a crib needs two things to be accepted by used baby furniture stores.

"The biggest thing cribs need is the tags on them that show the manufacturer's name and the stamped date of when it was made," Gauthier said. "Otherwise, it's going in the trash."

She said parents should only have to worry about the look and style of the crib, not how safe it is.

"It should be about the visual aspect of buying a crib and what one will fit the style they're going for," she said. "Do they want light or dark wood, a basic style of crib, or one that converts into a single child's bed down the road?"

ncruickshank @ thebarrieexaminer.com