Evolution of Safety Standards For Baby Cribs

A crib is a baby's bed with high, often slatted, often movable sides, suitable for a child who has outgrown a cradle or bassinet. When a young infant starts rolling over at approximately 3 to 4 months of age, the infant has outgrown the bassinet and needs a larger infant bed with better safety. Safety of a crib is more important than its looks. A brief account of evolution of safety standards for cribs in US is presented in this report.

No safety regulations were in force for building cribs before 1974 in the US. In 1974 laws were passed for mandatory safety standards to be followed by crib manufacturers. This was the result of a number of unfortunate injuries and deaths attributed to faulty design and lack of safety standards associated with the cribs at that time. US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) imposes the safety laws.

The Juvenile Product Manufacturers Association (JPMA) was born in 1959 and obtained its charter in 1962. JPMA is recognized as an organization dedicated to enhancing children's product safety. JPMA has developed a certification program that demands quality, safety and functionality. ASTM International, originally known as the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), was formed over a century ago, is currently one of the largest voluntary standards development organizations in the world-a source for technical standards for materials, products, systems, and services. ASTM F1169-09 pertains to the latest safety standard of a full size baby crib. ASTM F1169-09 standards ensure structural integrity and design requirements addressing entanglement on corner post extensions. It requires the manufacturers to provide warning labels and instructional material for full-size baby cribs. Fully-furnished cribs are tested on, and need to conform to the following test requirements: mattress support system vertical impact properties; drop and stationary side (static and cyclic) properties; crib side spindle/slat torque properties; drop and folding side latch properties; and plastic teething rail properties.

In August of 1995 CPSC reported that used cribs are responsible for about 50 infant deaths a year. The report also said that: cribs accounted for more deaths of infants than any other nursery item, virtually all the reported victims were under age 2 and about 3/4th of the victims were under 1 year of age, incidents occurred mostly in the child's home, frequently infants strangled or suffocated when they became trapped in the crib side or end that had separated from the rest of the crib because of loose or missing hardware. Some infants also became trapped between undersized mattresses and the side of the crib, in gaps created by missing or improperly attached mattress supports, or in areas between broken or improperly spaced slats. Some infants strangled when clothing or items around their neck became entangled on the crib corner posts or crib hardware. Most of the of cribs involved in these incidents were previously owned or used. They were "hand-me-downs" gifts from friends and relatives or by purchasing them at yard sales, flea markets, and used furniture stores. Infant deaths in cribs have declined from an estimated 150 to 200 a year to about 50 since the safety standards have been set forth in 1974.

CPSC currently recommends that cribs meet the following safety guidelines:

1. No missing, loose, broken, or improperly installed screws, brackets, or other loose hardware on the crib or the mattress support.
2. No more than 23/8 inches between crib slats so a baby's body cannot pass through the slats. If a soda can fits easily through the slats on a crib, the spaces between the slats are too wide.
3. A firm snug-fitting mattress so a baby cannot get trapped between the mattress and the side of the crib.
4. No corner posts over 1/16 of an inch above the end panels (unless they are over 16 inches high for a canopy) so baby cannot catch clothing and strangle.
5. No cutout areas on the headboard or footboard so a baby's head cannot get trapped.
6. A mattress support that does not easily pull apart from the corner posts so a baby cannot get trapped between the mattress and crib.
7. No cracked or peeling paint to prevent lead poisoning. 8. No splinters or rough edges.

JPMA certifies the cribs that meet the safety criteria of the CPSC and the voluntary safety standards of the ASTM. It is important to use a well-fitted mattress for your baby's crib. The standard size of a crib mattress is approximately 515/8 inches by 271/4 inches. A standard crib mattress will fit new standard crib, but may not fit an older crib made before 1974. Buy a standard size crib that is JPMA certified with a standard size mattress for your baby.