Stork Craft, Health Canada, and the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission have issued a recall for Stork Craft cribs after four children died in the U.S., and several others in both the U.S. and Canada have had close calls.
If assembled improperly, and through wear-and-tear, the crib hardware can break, making it possible for the side of the crib to partially or completely detach, allowing a child to become trapped and suffocate, or fall out of the crib entirely.
The recall concerns Stork Craft drop-side cribs with plastic hardware, some of which were sold under the Fisher-Price logo, manufactured and sold between Jan. 1993 and Oct. 2009. The Fisher-Price branded cribs were manufactured between Oct. 1997 and Oct. 2009.
It does not involve any cribs with metal rod drop-side hardware.
The cribs were sold at Sears Canada, Wal-Mart Canada, and various specialty retailers.
In Canada, there have been three reports of children becoming stuck between the sliding side and the mattress, and eight reports of falls. Thirty-two other incidents have been reported.
Incidents are higher in the U.S., including four incidents of children becoming stuck resulting in the child suffocating.
The crib's plastic hardware on the drop-side can deform or break, and the side can be installed upside down.
When the drop-side detaches, it can create space between the drop-side and the crib mattress, a space where a baby can become stuck.
The drop-side can also completely fall off, allowing the child to tumble from the crib.
While the products meet current safety standards, the reported incidents have demonstrated that the plastic hardware can break and fail over time, not just from improper installation.
Those in possession of one of the recalled cribs are asked to contact Stork Craft to acquire replacement parts. The drop-side will become a fixed-side crib.
For more information, consumers may contact Stork Craft toll-free at 1-877-274-0277 or visit the Stork Craft's website at www.storkcraft.com.
To see the Health Canada release with additional images of the recalled crib, visit http://cpsr-rspc.hc-sc.gc.ca/PR-RP/recall-retrait-eng.jsp?re_id=888.
