Parents beware: Unsafe cribs might still be in use

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Crib standards are finally getting an update after 30 years. The new, safer cribs will soon be the only ones on store shelves. But that doesn't mean the old ones won’t still be in use.

Cribs with side walls that drop down are blamed for at least 32 infant deaths since 2000. The Consumer Product Safety Commission determined drop-side cribs generally have a tendency to be less structurally sound than cribs with four fixed sides. Their hardware is prone to break, deform or experience other problems during normal use, and the drop side can detach in one or more corners from the crib. If an infant or toddler rolls or moves into the space created by a partially detached drop side, he or she can become trapped and suffocate.

After Tuesday, you won't be able to buy drop-side cribs in stores. But child care businesses and hotels are among the businesses allowed an extra year to stop using the drop-side cribs. They have until December 2012 to replace them with the new, safer cribs.

Even though hotels are given a longer time to comply with the new standard, though, one chain with local sites, Marriott hotels, is a step ahead.

“It is much more important for us to make sure we have a safe environment for our guests,” said Phillip Ray, general manager of the Indianapolis Marriott. “So we made the change before it was required. At the end of the day, $100 is a small price to pay.”

And at least one area daycare center has already made the change, too.

Trish Greskamp, who runs Baby Love Home Daycare, said she uses cribs with fixed sides. Beyond the suffocation risks, she said, there are other issues with the drop-side cribs.

“The baby wakes up, stands up, pulls up on the crib and it slides down. They could tumble out,” she said.

The mandatory standards are designed stop the manufacture and saleof dangerous cribs by improving mattress support and slat strength, making crib hardware more durable, and safety testing more rigorous.