Move afoot in Congress to ban drop-side [baby] cribs

Ass Press ^ | May 23, 2010 | Jennifer C. Kerr, Associated Press Writer

[upchuck]

Please, please Senator Gillibrand, I'm begging you please... protect me from myself. Please?

[perfect_rovian_storm]

[PackerBoy]

32 deaths in 10 years? I would think more children died doing a swan dive off the top of the crib, wearing Superman pajamas and humming the theme song to Rocky.

[counterpunch]

The one other thing all these infant deaths had in common was inattentitve parents.
Congress should seize on this opportunity to once and for all ban parenting, instead of moving incrementally towards that end.

Ultimately, snatching all children and raising them in government run kinder camps is their aim, is it not?

[Yaelle]

[RicocheT]

32 in 10 years? That’s not a crisis and no reason to obsolete about a million US baby cribs. More babies die yearly co-sleeping with adults who roll over them and those adults are not charged with any sort of penalty.

[Let's Roll]

Years ago, we had a portable crib and the top 1/3 or so of one side could be released at each end and dropped down flush with the outside of the lower 2/3 of that side.

Saved Mom’s back and could be easily put back up. Similar to releasing a truck tailgate except those only drop out at a 90 degree angle instead of 180.

[pillut48]

I have one of those EEEEEEEEEVVVVVVVVVIIIIIIIIIILLLLLLLLLL drop-side cribs for my almost 2 y/o son Sam!! Yes, I've gone into his room at night to check on his sister and him before I go to bed, and found the JAWS of the drop side opening wide to pull him into it's depths!!!! By the grace of God, though, I've smacked it upside the head and beat it into submission. That'll learn it to attack MY kid!!!

/sarc

Seriesly, I check the drop side EVERY time I put it up or down, to make sure it's functioning properly. It's NOT rocket surgery, for Pete's sake! The company recalled the crib and sent us these plastic pieces that prevent the side rail from moving--unfortunately, then I would need a stepladder to put my child over the top, and a block and tackle to lower my son onto the mattress far below!! I don't think so!

We have some stuffed animals up and down the side to act as diversions in case the crib decides to attack in the middle of the night. So far, so good! I'll be my own kids' nanny, thankyouverymuch!

[funfan]

Well how are supposed to get them out of the crib then? If you lean over the side you could put your back out. I had one of those cribs and it was fine. Maybe we should just ban babies-perhaps Obama could make an executive that babies after they are born automatically turn 5 and then they are in a big bed. I am disgusted with the governemnt please leave me alone

[patton]

“More babies die yearly co-sleeping with adults who roll over them”

Not really - that is pretty rare.

[Williams]

Not sure how they malfunction. We had one of these for our daughter and I am a safety fanatic and worry wart of the highest degree. Don’t recall ever seeing a possible danger.

[HiTech RedNeck]

That is a very minuscule figure when viewed among all the hazards that beset infants. How many infants died because the parent didn’t want to bother with a clumsier crib design?

[ElkGroveDan]

Over 275 children have drowned in buckets since 1984. Shall we ban those too? 100 people die every year from eating peanuts. Where does it end?

[MamaTexan]

"There still are thousands and thousands of children who are sleeping every night in drop-side cribs and we need to protect them," said Gillibrand.

How many MILLIONS of babies have slept in these cribs night after night for years without ever having a problem, you Marx-faced, nanny-state GOOBERSMACK!

O LAWD these people make me sick!

[Pox]

I suppose it would be too difficult to space the bars on the crib close enough to each other to prevent an infants head from actually being able to fit in between them in the first place?

How about stops on the bottom that would prevent the side from dropping down far enough to suffocate a child but still allow the ease of removing the child from the crib by allowing the side to go down 1/2 or 2/3’ds of the way to the mattress?

Perhaps it's just easier to tell others no rather than encourage a simple modification or two to remove the problem altogether?

[kbennkc]

Congress should seize on this opportunity to once and for all ban parenting, instead of moving incrementally towards that end.

At least have stringent testing and licensing requirements , like say , for fishing .

[FrdmLvr]

Ah yes, I seem to remember my son climbing out of the crib at about the age of 18 months and nearly killing himself in the process. He’s 24 now and survived that and much, much more! In fact, both of my kids survived the so-called “death-trap” drop-down-side crib!

[sionnsar]

"There's a great urgency here. We have to make sure that no parent is unaware that drop-side cribs could kill their children," Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y.

And during that time how many black and other minorities were... aborted?

(crickets -- you draw the conclusion)

[IllumiNaughtyByNature]

Actually a 1999 study showed that about 65 deaths per year are attributed to infants sleeping in the same bed with adults. This included rolling over on the, them getting trapped between sheets/pillows.

Conversely, SIDS is the big one at over 4000 per year. The best deterrent for this, thus far, is circulating air in their room with a portable fan or ceiling fan. There may have been more recent studies, but this was the last I'd seen.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Or, if there is a rash of crib sides coming off of tracks, how about something like safety cables to limit how low they can go?