Although drop side cribs are officially banned as of the beginning of 2011, stores, daycare centers, hotels, and any facility selling, using, or providing cribs needs to replace all drop side designs with stationary ones. For stores and other facilities, this ban has created a significant change, but where do parents fit into this?

Confusion, much like we saw last week, characterizes the typical parent’s stance regarding cribs. For some, this recall, in addition to others geared toward baby sleeping products, makes parents wonder about the safety of their child’s bed, and drop side models, even heirlooms, are being put aside for a fixed design. Other parents, unconvinced about these hazards keep the drop side cribs, just as long as they’re sturdy.

Drop sides alone, however, are not only to blame for injuries. A recent study published in CNN Health found that 26 children are injured by cribs each day, and 9,500 over the course of a year. Injuries come indirectly or directly from a crib. A child, in many cases, stands up in the crib, leans over the side, and ends up falling out and onto the floor.

Another significant portion of crib-related injuries comes from hardware. As nearly all of the drop side crib recalls show, poor construction or assembly can result in the hardware holding in the movable portion cracking, and the drop side falls on the child, causing suffocation, entrapment, or strangulation.

Regardless of whether or not you continue to use a drop side crib, the following aspects need to be considered:
• Is the crib stable and sturdy?
• Does the crib have any openings that a child can slip or crawl through?
• Is the hardware – such as rails or locks – in good condition?
• Items placed inside the crib, such as bumpers, pillows, and toys.
• Items placed near the crib, such as corded monitors.

Although drop side cribs have been taken out of stores, sleep areas for babies are still not considered secure. In recent weeks, the CPSC decided to reevaluate the safety of crib bumpers for suffocation hazards, and Summer Infant recalled 1.7 million baby monitors over suffocation-related deaths. Two more recalls of bassinets and car seats came directly after.

Burlington Bassinet Co. and Dorel recalled 500,000 bassinets and 800,000 car seats, respectively, over the past week. Burlington bassinets, which are primarily sold at Wal-Mart, have inefficient hardware; if rails at the bottom are not fully in place, the bassinet can collapse and injure the baby. Burlington, however, is not issuing a refund, but hardware kits to address the issue will be available. Dorel car seats, which are sold under well-known manufacturer names like Safety 1st, Quinny, Maxi-Cosi, Disney, and Eddie Bauer, have a faulty button.

With this slew of recalls spanning from cribs to monitors, parents are confused, as this piece from WBALTV.com shows. Although secondhand products are one option for saving money, the product could have been recalled before. To find out if a product was taken off shelves years earlier, find the model number and search for it on the CPSC website. Parents, additionally, wonder what they will do if a crib, stroller, or other baby furniture is recalled.

Many baby products, however, end up being recalled for poor assembly or cheaply-made hardware. If you are checking for hazards, examine the hardware first. Drop side cribs, for example, were a reliable designed until the past decade. The plastic rails and locks used to hold the drop side in place began to break more frequently, causing this movable portion to fall onto the baby. Additionally, when you are putting together the product, see that all instructions are followed to make a sturdy crib or bassinet.