New Crib Regulation?

There was a discussion here lately concerning the liability isues with high chairs, cribs, etc. I saw this today and thought I would pass it on. If anybody here wants to make a crib, it may be a good idea to NOT have a drop down side.

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Reply to
Lee Michaels
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Mommy regulations again. Give me a break.

Many people can't reach over and then down for some time after delivery or if just short.

Mart> There was a discussion here lately concerning the liability isues with high

Reply to
Martin H. Eastburn

A problem which our society is going to have to learn to deal with is excessively complete communications.

We're starting to see regulations to address one-in-a-million events. Literally--did you see the numbers they quoted in the link that was provided--3 deaths out of 3 million cribs?

Reply to
J. Clarke

It's all about risk management, though. If you're big enough to sell one million cribs, then your chances of your product killing someone, anyone, goes up to unacceptable levels. Changing something like this is a no-brainer, all things considered.

Sure, some of the failures were because of incorrect assembly or faulty materials that can crop of from time to time. It's not always someone's fault, but that won't prevent an angry family from hiring a lawyer and suing the company, costing them more money than it's worth to just not manufacture the things in the first place.

I have a 2 year old and own a drop-side crib, and those drop down sides are heavy, and can be tricky to get to work when you're trying to be quiet. Honestly, I think the replacement of the drop side with a fold-down rail is better for everyone involved. It accomplishes the same goal of making allowances for shorter folks or those with back problems, but reduces the risk of a guillotine-type failure or unsafe gaps that the little squirmers can wiggle into. I bet assembly wouldn't be any more difficult, and it would be pretty obvious if the thing is backwards or upside down.

Also, this isn't the Federal Congress making the ruling, but a trade organization issuing voluntary guidelines. Though the CPSC may adopt them as their rules if they're put in place before the CPSC meets about the situation.

-Nathan

Reply to
nhurst

It's all about risk management, though. If you're big enough to sell one million cribs, then your chances of your product killing someone, anyone, goes up to unacceptable levels. Changing something like this is a no-brainer, all things considered.

Sure, some of the failures were because of incorrect assembly or faulty materials that can crop of from time to time. It's not always someone's fault, but that won't prevent an angry family from hiring a lawyer and suing the company, costing them more money than it's worth to just not manufacture the things in the first place.

I have a 2 year old and own a drop-side crib, and those drop down sides are heavy, and can be tricky to get to work when you're trying to be quiet. Honestly, I think the replacement of the drop side with a fold-down rail is better for everyone involved. It accomplishes the same goal of making allowances for shorter folks or those with back problems, but reduces the risk of a guillotine-type failure or unsafe gaps that the little squirmers can wiggle into. I bet assembly wouldn't be any more difficult, and it would be pretty obvious if the thing is backwards or upside down.

Also, this isn't the Federal Congress making the ruling, but a trade organization issuing voluntary guidelines. Though the CPSC may adopt them as their rules if they're put in place before the CPSC meets about the situation.

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My take on it is that the manufactureres don't want to lose money if they don't offer the drop down model when others do. So to level the playing field, they mandate that nobody offers it. I really think that safety is not the major issue. Competitiveness is. And liability, of course.

And it is a good PR move. We care about babies. Buy our products. Of course, this would render almost all present cribs obsolete. So everybody has to buy new cribs. Wanna bet that there will be a brisk black market for the drop down cribs for awhile?

Reply to
Lee Michaels

=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D

While that's certainly possible, I would have liked the option of the flip down rail. You lose a lot of rigidity in the crib when an entire side is mobile. I would have been happier had just the part that needed to move was movable.

The current cribs will be around for a while, simply because of secondhand sales and family gifting and whatnot, and it's not like they're DANGEROUS, just that they can be safer.

I think the major innovation, that of the side being able to be made shorter, was enough to redefine what people expect in a crib, and now the market is working on the best implementation.

-Nathan

Reply to
nhurst

No matter what you do a few idiots are going to manage to hurt themselves or someone else with it. At what point do we decide that it's time to accept that nothing can be made completely idiot-proof?

The solution to that is to make it more difficult to bring lawsuits or make the suits higher risk for the plaintiff.

And no doubt the fold-down rail will have its own set of risks.

Doesn't matter how it's coming to pass.

Which doesn't alter the fact that they're addressing one-in-a-million problems.

Not if the government decides to outlaw them, which it may.

Reply to
J. Clarke

Nathan;

I think that I can almost guarantee that someone will find a way to injure them self or their little one with a fold down crib side. Most likely pinch a small finger in the fold when the side is returned to it's upright and locked position.

I managed to survive sleeping in a drop side crib, so did my wife, three children and three grandchildren. This was all during the pre-crib standards era.

Dave N

Reply to
David G. Nagel

between up rights that allowed small babies to slide through but catch their head and strangle them. I built our crib with narrow spacing. Made a half side drop down for ease of use. All oak and mortise and tenion joints. Drop down was latched at either end with spring loaded slide latches. So that required both latches to be pulled at same time. Child not big enough to reach both at same time. However the boy found that if he pulled one latch and shove it a bit then pushed other latch the side would open. Guess what . He is now a mechanical engineer. His 2 children also used same crib. Warren

Reply to
WW

The obvious solution to that particular issue would be something like a rule joint, where there is no gap for fingers to get pinched in.

Chris

Reply to
Chris Friesen

Isn't that always the way? I remember putting a lock on the under-sink doors in my kitchen when my first born was just old enough to walk. When I finished up, she toddled over and unlocked and locked it a couple times, just like she saw me do when I tested it a minute before . . . sigh.

As for drop side cribs, I helped that same daughter's husband assemble one a few weeks ago. A family hand down. Same basic design that's been around at least 50 or 60 years because I slept in one like it. New ones are different, apparently.

Bill Ranck Blacksburg, Va.

Reply to
ranck

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