An infant's crib isn't something you would normally think of as dangerous. But 2.1 million Stork Craft Cribs are being recalled because of a hardware problem.
"That is the danger," said Inez Tenenbaum, head of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. "The side goes up and down, multiple times during the day, and over the course of time, the hardware becomes detached, creating this wedge where the child falls into it and suffocates."
The CPSC recommends that people do not use the cribs manufactured between 1993 and 2009 until they can get a repair kit from the company.
But a local official said that may create a different problem.
"What do parents do between now when they're being asked to immediately not use the crib anymore, and when the repair comes," said Joe Ohr, a forensic pathologist with the Mahoning County Coroners Office.
In the past year alone, the office investigated three deaths of infants sleeping in bed with adults.
Ohr is concerned that number could rise.
"I'm worried that if you put the child in the bed with you, it may lead to bigger problems than the faulty crib," he said.
But what do you do in the meantime? While Ohr said there is not really a perfect answer, there are steps to take to keep your child safe while they sleep.
"It has to be a firm flat surface," he said. "I would encourage a light, a very light padding underneath and then light blanketing on top."
He also encouraged parents to more closely monitor their children while they're sleeping until they can repair or replace a recalled crib.
You can find more information on the crib recall by going to the CPSC's website at the link below.
CPSC Crib Recall
