Baby crib safety concerns...............

[CathyA]

I guess you're not supposed to use the drop-down sided cribs anymore. When I had my kids 25 years ago, I bought the most beautiful oak sleigh bed crib.........with the intentions of it being a family heirloom. Of course I don't want any baby descendents dying from getting caught in the drop-down side, but it seems like there must be something we can do to fix it and be able to still use it.
Anyone try a safe modification?

[Mrs-M]

Grrr...!!! This topic never fails to raise my ire!

I'm all for kids safety, but ever since I found out that drop-side cribs were no longer, it's been a thorn in my behind! I often wonder Re: those doing all the recalls and banning and outlawing, if any of them actually have baby-raising/child-raising experience to their credit???

I don't know about you CathyA, but I'm not a wimpy woman, yet I laboured when it came to lifting toddler aged tots in and out of the crib (towards the end of their crib stay), and as far as doing all of the typical day-to-day baby things a mom does for a child still in a crib, i.e., changing diapers, dressing, etc, I don't know what I would have done without the aid of a drop-side baby crib in my home.

OK... rant over. Yes, absolutely, it is my understanding that there is a fix for drop-side cribs, however, I'm not sure what exactly the fix entails. If I stand correct, it's a bracket or something, preventing and eliminating any/all movement of the crib railing. Do check it out. The crib you have sounds lovely.

I went the route of the plain old-fashioned traditional standard simple generic standby white baby crib. I have two of them, and they're old (rungs conform to the safety standards for spacing), but both have drop-sides.

[cattledog]

When I was shopping for cribs a couple of years ago at a big box baby store, the cheap dropdown cribs had sides that were held by these flimsy plastic tabs. They did not look safe at all and the sides were very loose. We ended up going to a furniture store to purchase the crib. We bought a furniture grade dropside crib because it was less expensive than the regular kind ($400 vs $900). We screwed the sides together though so the sides were fixed. I'm tall, so reaching down was no big deal. The mattress height was adjustable anyway.

I always err on the side of caution when it comes to my kiddo though. I don't care if I'm viewed as slightly paranoid...

[Mrs-M]

Cattledog. Both cribs I have also have adjustable mattress heights, but as you drop the height of the mattress to compensate for a bigger baby/child, you now have to lift (extra) to get said kid in and out of the crib. Ugh... strain- strain.

I guess where I'm going with my argument, before simply banning and outlawing and recalling drop-side cribs, come up with another option/alternative for a mom to get at her kid easily, without her having to always strain, stretch, perform crib-yoga. Maybe a flip-open railing, where either the entire side or a portion of the railing swings open, etc.

To add, the baby crib (in our house) was treated more like a multi-utilitarian place to do most everything (baby/kid related). It was a bed, a dressing area, a changing area... so being able to lower the railing to work comfortably was super handy!

I actually passed on buying a changing table, because of the drop-side crib.

[Mrs-M]

Any updates to mention, CathyA?

[CathyA]

No. My kids don't seem anywhere near having babies.......which is fine with me. I'm still being worn out by my kids. haha
In this country, it seems like if 1 person dies of something, then millions have to be inconvenienced by new laws about it. I'm going to continue to use this crib in the future, (although by the time my kids have kids, the entire crib concept might be outlawed....haha). I will trust my feelings about how safe something is. I err on the side of safety too, so I will be sure the side support is substantial.
I just hope by the time my kids have kids, I can stand on my own 2 feet. :)

[zeaxmays]

weird, is this a thing within the last 7 years? we had a drop side we bought in 05.

neither kid used it, they slept in the bed with us. dodged a bullet i guess? lol

[Zoebird]

you know, i'm sure it's fine.

my mother used the crib that my grandmother used with her when I was a baby. I'm sure it was totally "non-kosher."

We didn't have a crib. we did the most-dangerous! cosleeping.

[Mrs-M]

Many good points, CathyA.

Zeaxmays. I would say in the last two (or so) years.

Zoebird. My kids were doomed to being cribbed, due to my staunch old-fashioned ways. LMAO!

[Mrs-M]

I was just giving thought to how the traditional drop-side baby crib (for surely) served families/people so well, over the years. Take for instance younger siblings helping out with baby care, as was the case in our home, or a mother with physical limitations, and let's not forget about shorter parents/babysitters.

Reflecting on my own babysitting experience, changing tables were few and far between. Few families I babysat for had one. Transferring diapered bottom kid from crib, to table, then back to crib again, always struck me as being an added step I could do without, so consequently, I seldom used a table. Instead, everyone kept a plastic diaper pail to one end of the crib, diapers/rubber pants, next to that... self-explanatory IMO.

I personally would like to see this re-thought, at least the design aspect.

[cattledog]

weird, is this a thing within the last 7 years? we had a drop side we bought in 05.

neither kid used it, they slept in the bed with us. dodged a bullet i guess? lol

Maybe it's just a consequence of trying to save every possible penny from the manufacturing process. Like I mentioned in the post above, I couldn't believe how cheaply made the dropside crib was at the big-box baby store. Only a thin little plastic tab kept the side from dropping. I doubt this is the same as the cribs manufactured 20, even 10 years ago.

[cattledog]

Maybe it's just a consequence of trying to save every possible penny from the manufacturing process. Like I mentioned in the post above, I couldn't believe how cheaply made the dropside crib was at the big-box baby store. Only a thin little plastic tab kept the side from dropping. I doubt this is the same as the cribs manufactured 20, even 10 years ago.

PS- I'm not sure what kind of oversight is used for baby things. When DH and I saw that crib we just couldn't believe that kind of cheap construction was allowed. I'm guessing it was easier to just ban the whole product?

[Mrs-M]

Originally posted by Cattledog.
I couldn't believe how cheaply made the dropside crib was at the big-box baby store. Only a thin little plastic tab kept the side from dropping. I doubt this is the same as the cribs manufactured 20, even 10 years ago.Definitely NOT the same. Hardware on both cribs I have is chrome steel, including the drop-side railing (toe) release. No plastic anything. Both cribs are between 25-30 years old.

[cattledog]

Definitely NOT the same. Hardware on both cribs I have is chrome steel, including the drop-side railing (toe) release. No plastic anything.

Yes! Initially we were going to use DH's old baby crib (a hand-me-down from the 40's). It was a drop-side also, but had a thick metal pin that kept the side from dropping. It was very well made. We only passed on it because the space between the slats were too wide. I think the standard today is for the space to be no wider than a pop can (this crib was considerably wider). I'm glad we went that route because our baby had a very small head circumference. I just don't think I would have slept well using that crib knowing that there was a chance (even if small) that she would get her head caught.

[Mrs-M]

You did right, Cattledog. Safety Re: children, is so important.

I just wish manufacturers would go back to making things the old-fashioned way. I, too, have seen new cribs, and they pale in comparison to the old.

[Miss Cellane]

Went and did a little research. The chief problems with the drop-side crib seem to be a) poor manufacturing and b) user error, not an inherent flaw in the design itself.


What Are The Safety Issues With Drop-Side Cribs?

Plastic drop-side hardware can break or warp.
Some types of soft wood could allow the hardware to come loose faster.
Many parents install the drop side upside-down, which can increase wear on hardware.
Drop side pieces go missing over time and the cribs aren't re-assembled properly.

The danger seems to be that the side that drops can become detached at the bottom and swing out, creating a space where the baby can become trapped. Instead of regulating manufacture of the cribs to eliminate cheap plastic parts and a redesign of the product so that assembly is easier, it must have been simpler to just ban the cribs.

Mrs. M, some manufacturers are coming up with alternatives. There are cribs where the top half of the crib side folds down, or cribs with a sliding panel that allows access to the baby.

[Mrs-M]

Great info, Miss Cellane.

I seem to remember reading somewhere, that solid oak, was used in the making of older baby cribs. I don't know what sort of wood is used now, but what a shame... to think it was easier to ban drop-side cribs all-together with, instead of simply going back to a solid metal/steel pin system, like the old ones.

The new designs you mention sound promising, and actually sound like they might work fairly well.

[Mrs-M]

I was just thinking about how trouble-free and user-friendly the two cribs I have were. With said kid slung over my hip, I could lift one foot, toe the drop-side mechanism, and using my index finger and thumb, lower the railing. Complete and total one-handed operation.

I can only imagine with cheap plastic parts, how finicky and fussy the up-and-down sliding action would be. My guess is there would be a significant amount of binding, unlike the metal pin slides that keep the railing taught at all times.