Toys "R" Us Inc., the big toy retailer, has stopped ordering drop-side cribs because of safety concerns, the company's Chairman and Chief Executive Jerry Storch said Tuesday. The move comes as federal regulators are planning to launch Wednesday a push to set stronger standards for cribs following a series of recalls. Concerns about the safety of popular crib designs have led to 21 recalls of 4.2 million cribs over the past two years because of hazardous defects. Products involved in the recalls have been linked to at least five infant deaths and 16 cases in which babies were trapped by parts of a crib, said the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Drop-side cribs, popular because sliding down one side of the crib makes it easier for a parent to pick up a baby, have proved to be particularly problematic. "There are enough concerns raised about drop-side cribs that we're moving forward and we're going to phase them out," Mr. Storch said in an interview. While Mr. Storch said he doesn't necessarily believe newer drop-side cribs are dangerous, he's concerned about the amount of time consumers are keeping their cribs, especially in this economy. "It adds in an element of risk that we don't want to take, particularly over time," he said. "It seems that the strongest cribs are ones where the four sides attach to each other and have less complicated hardware." The decision by Toys "R" Us follows an agreement last month by some crib makers to support a proposed ban on drop-side cribs. If approved by members of ASTM International, a U.S.-based standards-setting organization that drafted the proposal but doesn't have enforcement powers, a ban could take a year to become effective and would likely apply only to newly made cribs. Meanwhile, the Consumer Product Safety Commission Wednesday has scheduled a meeting at which consumer advocates, crib makers and other industry stakeholders plan to start debating how the government could better assure consumers that the cribs they buy for their infants are safe. "It's the most important product in the home for babies, and we've got an obligation to look at the safety issues," said CPSC Acting Chairman Nancy Nord in an interview. "Durability is something that the CPSC and crib makers need to be paying close attention to." The crib recalls since 2007 have involved at least 10 brand names ranging from Simplicity to Delta and have mostly been linked to problems with durability and hardware. Spring pegs have malfunctioned, metal locking pins have popped off, and wooden slats have broken, creating hazardous gaps that have entrapped and suffocated infants and toddlers.
Consumer advocates are alarmed because most of the recalled products have met the current safety standards for new cribs. Those standards include a mix of mandatory standards set by the government, and more rigorous voluntary standards set by ASTM. The federal standards haven't been updated since 1982, and the other standards haven't been substantially overhauled since the late 1990s, advocates say. Cribs are often used over time for more than one child and get reassembled when families move or donate them. But many crib designs may not endure that kind of real-life use. "We need to address hardware failure, knowing people are going to use these for years and multiple kids," said Nancy Cowles, executive director of Kids In Danger, a Chicago consumer-advocacy group. Baby's DreamDrop-gate cribs, in which part of one side folds over, are generally considered safer than drop-side cribs. The recalls already spurred Ms. Nord to warn parents last October about the potential hazards of using older cribs or reassembling cribs. The CPSC also started gathering information to help it develop a tougher crib standard. Mike Dwyer, executive director of the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association, said his group's members "recognize that there is a mis-assembly potential issue with some products and they want to make sure they're doing everything they can to address that issue." Still, Mr. Dwyer said: "There are some manufacturers that certainly feel they can make a safe drop-side crib." The CPSC-led discussions could bring changes in the way cribs look and what they cost. Al Kaufman, vice president of quality assurance and safety for Toys "R" Us, said cribs might end up sitting on shorter legs to make it easier for parents to reach in. Mr. Storch of Toys "R" Us said his company toughened its internal crib standards last fall to include added testing and other requirements that go beyond federal regulations and the ASTM's voluntary standards. Those changes will likely add about 5% to 15% to the cost of supplying a crib, he said.
Only some of that will likely be passed on to consumers, Mr. Storch said. Among other things, the company began requiring that spindles be inserted into crib rails at a minimum depth of half an inch, and it required that wood such as aspen and mahogany be used instead of tropical hardwood that's cheaper but not necessarily as reliable. It also borrowed from tougher Canadian and British standards for cribs.
Drop-gate cribs could also become more popular, said Donald Mays, senior director of product safety for Consumer Reports. In drop-gate cribs, the top five or six inches of one side can fold down to allow parents easier access but still offer protection for the infant. Mr. Mays said parents should first look for cribs with stationary sides until more stringent and comprehensive safety standards are developed. Parents should also never use cribs with missing hardware, and many advocates are advising against using second-hand cribs. Ms. Nord said parents should take "sensible precautionary steps" such as making sure cribs haven't been recalled and checking the hardware periodically to make sure it is tight. Printed in The Wall Street Journal, page D1 |
