Drop Side Cribs??

My granddaughters are using the bed that their mother used 32 years ago -- although we did replace some locking mechanism so they couldn't cut themselves if they happened to crawl under the crib and release the latch (very unlikely scenario!). At my house they use a small one that my grandmother bought for her grandchildren almost 80 years ago and the one that my in-laws used for their kids about 70 years ago. We did stabilize the drop side on the 70-year-old crib and fixed the Breatheable Bumper liners to fit it since the girls used it as they got older and moved around more.

It is amazing that so many things are labeled "dangerous" and "lethal" that we never had any problems with!

They were not all recalled and they weren't really outlawed it's just been made illegal for companies to make and sell drop side cribs because of some deaths related to them. Most of the problem was some companies using cheap parts for the drop Sid and parents not properly putting the cribs together or taking them apart between uses and misplacing hardware requiring them to use hardware that id not come with the crib. Your youngest won't b in it much longer and as long as it wasn't a recalled one sh will be fine.

We still have our 19-month old in a drop-side crib and will continue to use it until he outgrows it and for our next little one. Our crib was not one of the brands that was specifically recalled. It's a shame that so many babies were killed due to negligence by the manufacturers and in some cases by the parents, but the government decided to ban them altogether. So you can't go out and buy one, but they're still out there in the yard sale market. Millions of babies do just fine in them. Just remember that if the crib breaks, don't continue to use it or hold it together with wires and tape.

Courtney's post was interesting; I had not been under the impression that it was "outlawed", just recalled. Anyway, we have a drop side crib that both my boys used, and we are currently using it for our 3 month old as well. I do know that secondhand shops or consignment stores are not allowed to resale these items, but I'm not sure if that applies to Craigslist or garage sales. Once it goes to toddler bed, I don't think it would be an issue anyway because the drop rail would be removed anyway.

Just to add my understanding of the situation. They are outlawed to the point that they can no longer be manufactured and sold by retailers. You also cannot personally sell your drop side crib as that is illegal as well (due the fact that most drop side cribs cannot meet the new safety standards). Therefore, you will not (should not) see drop side cribs at any resale shop/sale nor at garage sales, craigslist, ebay, etc. The use of a drop side crib that you already have in your possession is still legal to use. We still have a drop side crib in use by our almost 2 year old. It's one of the older models with all metal hardware and we just check it periodically to ensure all the nuts and bolts are tight.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gW-1Wo...

Just to echo what Rachel K said, the cribs on the news used cheap plastic parts that broke. Our crib used medal pieces, and I cannot imagine the two can be compared.

I don't know if I'm alone on this part, but I hate the idea of having to bend over that far to put my child in a crib. Even with the side dropped, it was a pain to lower my child into the crib.

Resale? We've been selling our things on Craig's List. Haven't tried to sell our crib yet, but I have seen it up for sale! Most of our things have sold very quickly. If we hadn't received hand-me-downs, I probably would have been looking on Craig's List myself. Most people don't use their baby things long enough to have much wear and tear.

Yes, they are now outlawed as of December 15, 2010.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40678788/ns/health-kids_and_p...

The Consumer Product Safety Commission found them to be deadly. http://www.cpsc.gov/vnr/asfroot/cm12152010.asx

Too many recalls and deaths led to the ban. You can find them in secondhand stores and garage sales, but they will no longer be manufactured. Most manufacturers have been phasing them out in the past few years.

Hotels and child care centers have one year to replace any drop-side cribs with fixed-side cribs.

Check out the consumer product safety commssion's website, but most have not been recalled. You can look up your model, though. What happened was a ban on the manufacture and sale of drop-side cribs, not the use of them. The CPSC does encourage you to make sure your model has not been recalled, is in good working order, and order any replacement parts you might need from the manufacturer. I have seen some for sale through Craigslist and am not sure if the law applies to that kind of sale, but I think it might have included "resale" as well. I think most people who are just now acquiring baby items are avoiding them.

None of the resale places I've been to are taking ANY drop-side cribs anymore, because of all the recalls. Such a pain! You can try Craigslist or your local paper, but that can be a big hassle. Babies R Us has a deal where you can return any baby gear (stroller, car seat, high chair, crib) and get 20% off a new item, that might be your best bet.

I'm not sure if they've all been recalled, but I think it's that the industry will no longer produce them because they are deemed unsafe. If you feel comfortable with your daughter being in one, keep her in it, especially if your specific model hasn't been recalled. She's almost done with it anyway.