Drop-side cribs must be removed from child care centers and hotels

This week the Consumer Product Safety Commission issued an order requiring day cares and hotels to replace any drop-side cribs currently in use, within two years.  The agency was acting on its "safe sleep" initiative and in response to more than 20 product recalls (involving more than 7 million drop-side cribs) in the past three years, and 32 related infant deaths reported in the past ten years. 

Normally, cribs have a commercial life of ten years, so the initiative will result in a substantial expense, however, several manufacturers will be contributing to the cost of replacement.  TheCPSC order is basically a recognition that drop-side cribs are inherently less stable and unsafe, and that to be safe, cribs must be constructed according to a sturdier design.