More than 2 million drop-side cribs recalled

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the recall of more than 2.1 million Stork Craft Manufacturing Inc. drop-side cribs Monday that have been linked to four infant suffocations.

Representatives from some of the country’s largest retailers said they were unable to pinpoint how many of the drop-side cribs were purchased in South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley, but said they have long since discontinued their sale.

The safety commission is urging all parents to immediately stop using the recalled cribs and contact Stork Craft directly to receive a free repair kit that converts the drop-side on these cribs to a fixed side. The commission also recommends that parents do not attempt to fix the cribs and wait for the repair kit.

Approximately 1.2 million of the recalled Stork Craft cribs were sold in the U.S., and the remaining 968,000 units were distributed in Canada, according to the safety commission. About 147,000 of the cribs carry the Fisher Price logo.

The safety commission, Health Canada and Stork Craft are aware of 110 incidents in which the cribs’ drop-side plastic hardware has detached.

The drop-side cribs have a side that moves up and down to allow parents to more easily reach children in the cribs. If the drop-side detaches, though, it creates space between the drop-side and the crib’s mattress which can trap an infant or toddler and lead to suffocation.

Major retailers in the U.S. that sold the recalled cribs include J.C. Penney, Kmart, Sears, Wal-Mart and Target. Most retailers sold them from January 1993 through October 2009 for between $100 and $400.

A Wal-Mart spokeswoman said the retailer had ceased the sale of the recalled cribs earlier this year and that customers were eligible for a full refund if they opted to return the crib.

Representatives at J.C. Penney and Target also said they were no longer selling the cribs.

“Target currently does not sell any drop-side cribs (of any brand name),” spokeswoman Sarah Bokken said. “We discontinued carrying (Stork Craft drop-side cribs) in October and we do not plan to carry them anymore.”

This is the second big recall for the British Columbia, Canada-based company. Stork Craft recalled about 500,000 cribs in January because of problems with the metal brackets that support the mattress. Some of the same models in the earlier recall were also part of Monday’s announcement, according to the safety commission said.

Consumer advocates have complained for years about drop-side cribs. More than 5 million of them have been recalled over the past two years alone. Those recalls have reportedly been associated with the deaths of a dozen young children.

For the cribs recalled Monday, the manufacture date, model number, crib name, country of origin and the firm’s name, address and contact information are located on the assembly instruction sheet attached to the mattress support board.

The cribs were manufactured in China, Canada and Indonesia.

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Nick Pipitone covers McAllen, PSJA, the Mid-Valley and general assignments for The Monitor. He can be reached at (956) 683-4446.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

STORK CRAFT DROP-SIDE CRIB RECALL

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Stork Craft Manufacturing Inc. announced the recall of more than 2.1 million drop-side cribs Monday that have been linked to four infant suffocations.

>The CPSC urges parents and caregivers to immediately stop using the recalled cribs. Contact Stork Craft at (877) 274-0277 or log onto www.storkcraft.com to receive a free repair kit that converts the drop-side on these cribs to a fixed side. The CPSC is urging parents to wait for the free repair kit and to not attempt to fix the cribs without it.

>The recall includes Stork Craft cribs with manufacturing and distribution dates between January 1993 and October 2009. It also includes Stork Craft cribs with the Fisher-Price logo that have manufacturing dates between October 1997 and December 2004.

Source: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission