Consumer Agency Warns Of SafetyCraft Crib Dangers

WASHINGTON (AP) - A federal consumer agency is warning that SafetyCraft brand full-size and portable drop-side cribs manufactured or distributed by Generation 2 Worldwide contain drop-side hardware that may be dangerous to toddlers and infants.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission said Thursday that the hardware found on SafetyCraft drop-side cribs can fail and place infants and toddlers at risk of strangulation and suffocation. The drop-side hardware that appears to be identical to that used in a different brand of Generation 2 Worldwide drop-side cribs recalled in February 2010.

The agency's staff urges parents and caregivers to stop using the cribs immediately and find an alternative, safe sleeping environment for their baby. They say people should not attempt to fix these cribs.

The commission said Generation 2 Worldwide of Dothan, Ala., ceased operations in 2005. The "SafetyCraft" trademark was then purchased by Foundations Children's Products of Medina, Ohio.  

SafetyCraft cribs manufactured and sold by Foundations Children's Products are not the subject of this Safety Alert. Consumers can identify the Foundations SafetyCraft crib with "Foundations" printed on the mattress support assembly instructions label under the crib mattress.

Because Generation 2 Worldwide ceased operations, CPSC has limited information about the cribs and where they were sold. The agency has been unable to identify major retailers that sold these cribs.

The name "SafetyCraft" appears on a label affixed to the crib's headboard or footboard. Product labels may identify the place of manufacture as Indonesia or Dothan, Ala. This warning involves all SafetyCraft drop-side cribs, manufactured or sold by Generation 2 Worldwide. Some of the cribs have a clear plastic headboard and footboard. These cribs are in use in child care facilities as well as homes.

The crib's plastic drop-side hardware can break, which can cause the drop side of the crib to detach from a corner of the crib. When the drop side detaches, it creates a space into which an infant or toddler can roll and become wedged or entrapped.

The agency received reports of three infant suffocation deaths and 20 drop-side related incidents involving previously recalled models of Generation 2 Worldwide and ChildESIGNS cribs with plastic hardware similar to "SafetyCraft" cribs.