On October 13th the Suffolk County legislature (NY) unanimously voted to prohibit the sale of drop-side cribs throughout the county. The vote followed a passionate plea from Susan Cirigilano, a mother who lost her 6-month-old baby boy from suffocation in a defective crib in 2004.
Drop-side cribs with a vertically adjusting side continue to kill babies every year, but still haven’t been banned on the national level. Wayne Horsley, the lawmaker who sponsored the bill, hopes that surrounding counties and the state legislature itself pass similar bans in the coming months. The County Executive must sign the measure, but must first hold a public hearing, expected later this month.
ASTM (a national standards body), is moving towards the publication of the industry’s new voluntary standard which will include a provision requiring fixed sides on cribs. CPSC will be developing a new mandatory crib standard that may include the ban, but that won’t be out until 2011.
For more background information, you may visit the Chicago Tribune’s recent article.
