Recalls and Safety Concerns

A few days ago, I wrote up a blog about Safety and mentioned that it is always a good idea to stay up to date on any recalls - especially if you're given stuff, or purchase stuff 2nd hand.  Then, last night, I wrote up a blog about Sleeping Furniture Options.  Well, guess what? Just an hour or two ago, I receive an email from a parenting newsletter I'm subscribed to listing the Biggest Recalls for the year 2011.  Needless to say, I thought I'd share it with you lovely people.

Item number one on the top 40 list happens to be drop-side cribs [or rather, cots, in British English].  My curiousity was peaked to find out whether this applies to all drop-side cots or just specific brands.  The main reason for that is that the one I have been given happens to be a drop-side cot.  This means that it is a topic that hits home.

The reason behind the US Government issuing a ban to take effect as of June 2012 re:sale and/or distribution of drop-side cots is that between 2007 and 2010, 150 reports of babies dying due to a fault in the drop-side cot have been reported.  A quick Google Search has given me a bit more insight on the topic.

This article gives a list of the most common issues when it comes to safety with this type of cot.

If you happen to own one of the recalled cots, hold your horses and don't throw it out just yet.  There are a number of steps you can follow.

• Check the CPSC website to see if your baby's crib has been recalled. Get a repair kit or exchange the crib if it is under recall. Do not try to repair a recalled crib on your own.
• Make sure that your baby's crib is assembled correctly and works properly.
• Check crib hardware periodically to be sure it hasn't loosened, broken or gone missing.
• If you buy a used crib, be certain all of the hardware and parts are included, and find an instruction book if there isn't one with the crib.

According to the Which? website - no similar ban has been introduced within Europe as of yet since EU standards are different to US standards - however good sense tells me to keep myself up-to-date as if one country is willing to issue a ban, then there must be some degree of intelligent reasoning behind it.  Here's some more advice from Which? regarding choosing cot beds with safety in mind.

If you need some tips on how to research recalls, you can clicky here.