New crib safety standards passed

EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - Parents go to great lengths to make sure their children sleep in the safest possible place, now the Consumer Product Safety Commission is helping ensure those efforts.

This week the commission approved tougher standards for cribs and play yards.

Improvements to the standards include:

• Stopping the manufacture and sale of dangerous, traditional drop-side cribs.
• Strengthening mattress supports and crib slats.
• Requiring crib hardware to be more durable
• Making safety testing more rigorous

The new rules for portable cribs and play yards take effect in December, and join a list of five recently adopted safety requirements for children's cribs, toddler beds, and baby bath seats.

This latest legislation follows the 2010 passage of "Danny Keyser Child Product Safety Notification Act," lobbied by parent Linda Ginzel.

"It is hard for me to believe that 14 years ago, on May 12, 1998, my beautiful 16-and a half month old son Danny was strangled at his licensed child care facility, in our Chicago neighborhood," said Ginzel.

Linda Ginzel's son was in a portable crib, when it collapsed on the napping baby.

"Danny's Law" requires all manufacturers of durable infant or child products to establish and maintain a registration card program.

If you bought a crib before that time, you might not know if it's been recalled.

Consumers are always reminded to keep and eye out for product recalls, and be mindful of secondhand products manufactured before the new standards may have taken effect.