Death Crib for Cutie: 1.2 Million Cribs That Suffocate Babies Recalled

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has recalled 1.2 million cribs. "The cribs' drop-side plastic hardware can break, deform, or parts can become missing," they say."In addition, the drop-side can be installed upside-down, which can result in broken or disengaged plastic parts." This can cause the drop-side to fall away, either partially (creating a space between the drop-side and the mattress, in which the infant can become trapped and suffocate) or completely (in which case the infant can fall to the floor)...

Whether this is due to faulty assembly by parents or ill-use doesn't matter; these things are supposed to be safer than milk. CPSC has heard of "110 incidents of drop-side detachment" in the U.S. and Canada, and of babies in Gouverneur, New York, New Iberia, Louisiana, Summersville, West Virginia, and The Bronx who have suffocated as a result, and they're not taking chances.

The affected cribs are the ones with "plastic trigger and one-hand-system drop-side hardware," which have the Fisher-Price logo . The recall does not apply to non-drop-side cribs, nor those with metal rod drop-side hardware.