Your Used Crib Could Be Deadly: Safety Alert

CPSC Document #5020

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An unsafe used crib could be very dangerous for your baby! Each year, about 50 babies suffocate or strangle when they become trapped between broken crib parts or in cribs with older, unsafe designs.

A safe crib is the best place to put your baby to sleep. Look for a crib with a certification seal showing that it meets national safety standards.

If your crib does not meet these guidelines, destroy it and replace it with a safe crib.

A safe crib has:

• No missing, loose, broken, or improperly-installed screws, brackets, or other hardware on the crib or the mattress support.
  
  
• No more than 2 3/8 inches between crib slats so a baby's body cannot fit through the slats.
  
  
• A firm, snug-fitting mattress so a baby cannot get trapped between the mattress and the side of the crib.
  
  
• No corner posts over 1/16 of an inch above the end panels (unless they are over 16 inches high for a canopy) so a baby cannot catch clothing and strangle.
  
  
• No cutout areas on the headboard or foot board so a baby's head cannot get trapped.
  
  
• A mattress support that does not easily pull apart from the corner posts so a baby cannot get trapped between mattress and crib.
  
  
• No cracked or peeling paint to prevent lead poisoning.
  
  
• No splinters or rough edges.

009508

NOTE: Also on CPSC's gopher server (cpsc.gov), see related files under: CPSC Publications; Childrens' Furniture, Childrens' Safety. Under News from CPSC, see "31AUG95 - CPSC WARNS THAT USED CRIBS CAN BE DEADLY."