PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – When your children outgrow things, you might donate or sell the items.

One item normally sold or donated is a perfectly good crib.

“Normally these would be the spots over here where we would have the cribs,” Jill Reed of Once Upon a Child said, “But because we’re unable to purchase any cribs right now, we’ve been filling it in with other equipment we have available.”

The children’s consignment shop has had no cribs for a few months because the rules have changed.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission said cribs made after July 23, 2010, are not perfectly good.

“The problem is the dropped sides,” Injury Prevention Coordinator at Children’s Hospital, Christine Vitale said.

Nationwide, there have been 32 deaths since 2000 related to drop-side cribs. The new rules come to prevent suffocation.

“In Allegheny County last year we lost 13 kids to unsafe sleep [for reasons beyond crib type],” Vitale said.

Retailers can face civil penalties for not adhering to the new guidelines: more durable mattress supports, no drop sides, loosening safeguards, stronger slats, and more rigorous safety testing.

“Basically what that means for the customer or the consumer is that the cribs now are going to meet the most rigorous safety standards in the world,” Reed said.

For some people with recent models, the news is surprising, considering their babies have done just fine.

“My 1-year-old sleeps fine in his crib, it seems safe. Until he climbs over the walls, we’re good with it,” Jeremy Mulder of Oakdale said. “Since we have another baby on the way, and my 1-year-old is almost two, is just to move the new baby into the crib.”

Shopping for a crib at yard sales is not a good idea, since the available models are likely to pre-date the manufacturing changes.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission doesn’t patrol garage sales, but it does watch eBay and Craig’s List for recalled products, and will have these businesses remove the products from their listings.

RELATED LINKS

More Local News
More Reports From Dr. Maria Simbra
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