Our Children Deserve The Safest Cribs!

Do you know?
Cribs are the only piece of baby furniture manufactured expressly for leaving a child unattended.

According to the most recent data from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), every year approximately 32 children die from injuries sustained in cribs and more than 11,300 children are hospitalized as a result of crib-related injuries. The CPSC has estimated that the cost to society from deaths due to cribs is at least $150 million per year.

Most crib deaths occur in secondhand or hand-me-down cribs. Nearly 4 million infants are born in the U.S. every year, but only one to two million new cribs are sold.

Currently, federal mandatory standards and industry voluntary standards apply to the manufacture and sale of new cribs, but fail to apply to the sale or commercial use of secondhand cribs—which cause most crib-related infant injuries and deaths.

Important Update:
Representative Mike Rogers (R-MI) and Representative Ellen Tauscher (D-CA) introduced the Infant Crib Safety Act (H.R. 5692) on April 3, 2008

The Infant Crib Safety Act did not pass in 1999 when first introduced—we are also sorry to report that the 108th Congress did not pass the bill. Let’s make sure that does NOT happen again! Please, pledge your support to turn this common sense legislation into law!

What is the Act?
The Infant Crib Safety Act will make it illegal to manufacture, sell or otherwise place in the stream of commerce a crib that does not meet the most up-to-date safety standards—including voluntary industry stands—or any such crib which is not new and is unsafe for any infant. It will prohibit the use of unsafe, secondhand cribs in hotels, motels, inns and childcare facilities.

The bill will keep structurally unsound cribs, cribs containing traces of lead, and otherwise unsafe cribs off of the market, and will include stiff penalties for commercial sellers who willingly violate safety regulations. The Act is directed at the resale market, childcare facilities, hotels and motels.

This legislation, originally introduced in 1999 at the request of The Danny Foundation, is modeled after a very successful California law that was passed through their efforts. Twelve other states (Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington) have passed similar crib safety bills that have already led to a reduction in the number of unsafe cribs in their secondhand markets.

Simply put, the Infant Crib Safety Act will keep unsafe, used cribs out of resale, consignment and thrift shops. It will also prohibit hotels, motels and day care facilities from using them.

The newly introduced bill also includes a durability requirement for all cribs. Currently cribs sold in the United States, whether new or used, do not have to meet durability requirements which emulate real use of a crib over time. In 2007, almost 1.5 million full-size and non full-size cribs were recalled, many due to failures during use. This bill requires the CPSC to update its standards to include new rules on durability. Many cribs are not built to withstand the stresses that active toddlers place on them, rendering older, used cribs even less safe for infants. Durability standards will assure safe usage over time, as well as quickly identify failures in design or hardware that could lead to a hazardous crib.

Finally, the bill requires new cribs to feature labels warning against the use of potentially dangerous soft bedding, to remind parents of the risk of infant suffocation from the use of pillows, blankets, and stuffed animals.

This bipartisan legislation is similar to language sponsored by Senator Dianne Feinstein and approved by the Senate on March 6, 2008 as part of the CPSC Reform Act. 

Why is the Act so important?
"More children die in baby cribs than all other juvenile products combined. We know, based on the 11 states that have passed crib safety bills, that the Infant Crib Safety Act will help to prevent the tragedy of babies dying in unsafe cribs."
Jack Walsh - Keeping Babies Safe

"No child should suffer an injury and no family should experience the loss of a child because of an easily preventable accident.  By closing a dangerous loophole we can protect our children from defective and unsafe second hand cribs, As a parent I understand the enormous concern and worry that comes with having small children, but when we have put them safely to sleep in our homes they should be exactly that - safe."
Representative Ellen Tauscher (D-California)

"Every parent’s nightmare is the injury or loss of a child. Crib safety is crucial to protect our children when they are very vulnerable. This legislation will help parents and child caregivers know which cribs meet safety standards, and will set out clear standards for manufacturers and distributors of cribs."
Representative Mike Rogers (R-Michigan)

"This legislation will give parents the faith that every crib they purchase, whether new or used, is safe."
Representative Jim Greenwood (R-Pennsylvania)

Who endorses this legislation?
National Association of Resale & Thrift Shops (NARTS)
Keeping Babies Safe
Safe Kids USA
Consumer Federation of America
Consumers Union

Who will enforce the Act?
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) will enforce the Act under its existing authority to regulate product safety standards.