JC Penney is recalling about 8,00 drop-side cribs, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has announced. Dangerous, drop-side cribs that do not comply with recent federal crib safety rules have been banned in the United States by the commission.
The ban makes it illegal to sell, resell, manufacture, and distribute drop-side cribs and prohibits drop-side cribs at motels, hotels, and childcare facilities. Hotels and child-care centers have two years to replace their cribs. Drop-side cribs have been the subject of numerous recalls. Last June alone, more than 2 million were recalled and, since last January, about 1.5 million cribs were recalled.
In this case, the defective Drop-Side Cribs were manufactured in Taipei, Taiwan, by Yu Wei Co. Ltd., and imported by JC Penney Purchasing Corp., of Plano, Texas. The recalled JC Penney Drop-Side Cribs were sold at jcpenney.com and in the jcpenney catalog from January 2006 through December 2010 for between $300 and $450.
The drop-side rails on the crib can malfunction, detach, or unexpectedly fall down, causing part of the drop side to fall out of position, leaving a space into which an infant or toddler can roll and become wedged or entrapped, which can lead to strangulation or suffocation. A child can also fall out of the crib. Drop-side incidents can also occur due to incorrect assembly and due to age-related wear and tear. To date, the CPSC, JC Penney, and Yu Wei are aware of 9 incidents involving drop side rails that malfunctioned or detached, including one report of a child who sustained minor abrasions to the arm.
This recall involves Yu Wei full-size cribs sold under the Scroll and Lauren model names. The cribs were sold in antique white, pecan, and dark cherry, and have the following model numbers and date codes listed on the inside of the crib’s end panels:
• Scroll Crib: Model 343-8225, date codes 01/2006 – 12/2010.
• Lauren Crib: Model 343-9117, date codes 01/2007 – 12/2010.
JC Penney is advising consumers to immediately stop using the recalled cribs and contact Yu Wei to receive a free immobilizer kit that will immobilize the drop side. In the meantime, parents are encouraged to find an alternate, safe sleep environment for the child, such as a bassinet, play yard, or toddler bed, depending on the child’s age. Yu Wei can be reached, toll-free, at 1.877.806.8190 between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Central Time (CT), Monday through Friday; at the firm’s website at www.yuweicribrecalls.com; or by email at [email protected] to order a free immobilizer kit.
The CPSC reminds parents not to use any crib with missing, broken, or loose parts and to ensure to tighten hardware from time-to-time to keep the crib sturdy. When using a drop-side crib, parents should check to ensure the drop side or any other moving part operates smoothly. Always check all sides and corners of the crib for parts separating that can create a gap and entrap a child and do not attempt to repair any side of the crib; babies have died in cribs in which repairs were attempted by caregivers. Crib age is a factor in safety. At a minimum, CPSC staff recommends against using a crib older than 10 years old. Effective June 28, 2011, new, mandatory federal crib rules require that all cribs manufactured and sold after that date must meet revised safety standards. A complete list of recalled cribs can be accessed at www.cpsc.gov.
Just about every crib made prior to the agency’s new crib safety standard went into effect are banned. New cribs must be made with stronger hardware and must be constructed with mattress supports and slats, all of which must undergo revised testing that is meant to emulate long-term crib use.
Some 32 deaths have been linked to shoddy drop-side cribs due to damaged or missing hardware or other defects.
