A recall went out yesterday for more than 2 million cribs. Most of them are of the drop-side variety, in which a side rail moves up and down (to allow people to more easily lift a child from the crib). That movable side can, however, malfunction (or detach completely) from the crib, potentially injuring (or trapping) a youngster’s head, arm or leg. Although drop-side cribs have been around for decades, they are increasingly coming under scrutiny because they are no longer as sturdily built as those in the past were.
Older cribs had a metal rod that guided the drop side up and down….whereas many of the newer drop-side cribs have plastic tracking guides, that are more prone to breaking.
