US to ban drop-side baby cots

dave1982

The US is to ban drop-side baby cots after more than 30 infants and toddlers have died in the over the last 10 years.

Its Consumer Product Safety Commission voted unanimously to end the manufacture, sale and re-sale of the cots, which have a side rail that moves up and down, allowing parents to more easily lift their child out.

Drop-side cots have come under scrutiny in recent years because of malfunctioning hardware, sometimes cheaper plastics, or assembly problems that can lead to the drop-side rail partially detaching from the crib.

That can create a dangerous “V”-like gap between the mattress and side rail where a baby can get caught and suffocate or strangle.

Read more: http://www.breakingnews.ie/world/us-to-ban-drop-side-baby-cots-485852.html#ixzz18EO6J4kg

Always had a bad feeling about these,so i screwed the drop side on with screws i put in my self,takes away from the look of the cot but worth it.

Wonder if they will ban here?

Das Kitty

We had one when I was small. The catch was faulty after years of use. I distinctly remember as a small child being in it and standing up against the side and it dropping and me flying arse over tit out of it.

When we were looking for cots I don't remember seeing any with drop sides.

Grawns

I secured mine months ago with those plastic tie thingies, can't remember their name but you thread one side through the other and pull and they are pretty unbreakable. What are they called? Doh! Anyways they are btilliant for fixing things and securing things and you don't need a screwdriver or hammer

The_Conductor

We have a mothercare one. We keep it in the down position, and the bed at the lowest to the floor setting- so even if it detached, which is highly unlikely, as you'd need to be a Soumo wrestler to move the thing- it would only drop about 2-3 inches.

I suppose its a bigger issue for those who have high cots, than those with cots at floor level (aka the side rail doesn't have anywhere to go, other than the last inch or two if it does manage to detach).

January

Grawns wrote: »

I secured mine months ago with those plastic tie thingies, can't remember their name but you thread one side through the other and pull and they are pretty unbreakable. What are they called? Doh! Anyways they are btilliant for fixing things and securing things and you don't need a screwdriver or hammer

Cable ties

I remember looking for one of these when I was pregnant the first time, thought it would be invaluable for my back. I didn't see any in Smyths or Mothercare, or I probably wasn't looking hard enough.

Not so much of a problem getting them in and out of the cot at the lowest level though.

Grawns

Thanks Adrienne

Bridget's high chair belt broke - cable tie
New Twinkle star light from Ikea ( Bargain €5.99) secured to curtain rail with cable tie


Best thing ever for a busy Mum who doesn't have great DIY skills and a busy husband who has none

crazy cat lady

We have a drop side cot from Mothercare. Haven't had any problems with it so far but thanks for highlighting something else for me to worry about :rolleyes:

Megan is nearly a year old and I still get a bit panicky at night and have to check that she has moved and is breathing. Is this normal?

Oh and I worry if she wakes in the night cos I think there's something wrong, and if she doesn't wake in the night I worry that there's something wrong!! Crazy eh!

Kimono-Girl

crazy cat lady wrote: »

Megan is nearly a year old and I still get a bit panicky at night and have to check that she has moved and is breathing. Is this normal?

Oh and I worry if she wakes in the night cos I think there's something wrong, and if she doesn't wake in the night I worry that there's something wrong!! Crazy eh!

you are most definitely not crazy, well if you are then i am too, i do the exact same! if she hasn't tossed and turned in a particular period of time i will check to make sure she is breathing. i worry


on the other hand we have a side drop cot and i love it and have never had any problems with it, both my brother and sister had them and never had any problems, to be honest its like everything else your baby's come into contact with, anything can be fatal but it is unpractical to worry yourself sick over everything,


( i know as a mother we will all worry anyway)

Tabnabs

Grawns wrote: »

I secured mine months ago with those plastic tie thingies, can't remember their name but you thread one side through the other and pull and they are pretty unbreakable. What are they called? Doh! Anyways they are btilliant for fixing things and securing things and you don't need a screwdriver or hammer

Cable ties degrade over time. Left in the outdoors, a year later they will look good but a decent nudge will shatter them. There's a reason they are called cable ties (i.e. not designed for taking a load)... Stick in a couple of decent screws, or better yet nuts and bolts.

We have a beautiful beech beside cot that we use as a stand alone cot and it has a drop down side. It's on its fourth child now and gets dogs abuse from our little terrorist. I see their point, but an outright ban is OTT.

astrofool

30 in 10 years is enough to be statistically insignificant, that's 3 a year on something that is used by millions of babies worldwide.

Khannie

There's nothing insignificant about 30 easily preventable deaths. I know it's a small number given the population of the country, but why not prevent them if you can?

implausible

Khannie wrote: »

There's nothing insignificant about 30 easily preventable deaths. I know it's a small number given the population of the country, but why not prevent them if you can?

But sure by that logic, no-one would have stairs in their houses or heat any food or drink around their kids, co-sleeping, having pets and walkers would be banned. Banning outright something that is so useful for parents (after a c-section, mine was invaluable) and poses a negligible risk to babies is overdoing it. Regular inspection and maintenance of these cots and additional screws etc if needed for peace of mind is all that's needed.

Talk about the Nanny State(s):rolleyes:

astrofool

Khannie wrote: »

There's nothing insignificant about 30 easily preventable deaths. I know it's a small number given the population of the country, but why not prevent them if you can?

I was going to continue that more babies likely die due to buggies/car seats/swings/clothes/whatever malfunctioning, than due to drop side cots, but thought it might be in bad taste. Thanks for making me go there.

Jimmy Garlic

What a load of nonsense. Jobsworths looking for something to justify their pathetic existence. Drop side cots are completely safe if common sense is used. They will ban lightbulbs next....oh wait

Jimmy Garlic

Khannie wrote: »

There's nothing insignificant about 30 easily preventable deaths. I know it's a small number given the population of the country, but why not prevent them if you can?

I would wager that most of the deaths were freak accidents. You can't prevent freak accidents. A bolt of lightening could travel down the phone line and fry you. You could slip in the kitchen and hop your head off the table. You could fall down the stairs. All very unlikely to happen but not impossible. Peoples electric blankets have caught fire and burned them to death, should electric blankets be banned?.

deisemum

I have a drop down cot and found the drop down function invaluable. My niece had a nasty accident in a fixed one.

Common sense and regular checking all baby equipment for wear and tear should be the norm.

Also when it comes to accidents and fatalities a lot of the times it's down to lax supervision or misuse of equipment rather than faulty equipment

The_Conductor

Khannie wrote: »

There's nothing insignificant about 30 easily preventable deaths. I know it's a small number given the population of the country, but why not prevent them if you can?

I agree with you that any death that can possibly be prevented, should be.

The term statistically insignificant- however has nothing to do with the 30 deaths that occurred, simply its a mathematical term to state that they do not register on a scale, nothing more, nothing less.

I know our cot came with instructions advising that the matress be set to the lowest possible setting once the child reaches 6 months of age- and given the gymnastics our little guy is capable of, its certainly good advice. I cannot imagine that many of the 30 cases reflect instances where due caution was exercised unfortunately. Its akin to banning children from travelling in cars without an adequately certified heating system- there is an element of hysteria, alongside a blame culture, associated with drop-side baby cots.

As a reference 49 children died from hypothermia in moving cars in the US in 2009........

Any action which minimises the possibility of injury or death in children is to be lauded- however actions such as banning drop side cots, are hysterical actions that could have other possible implications that have not been evaluated or considered.