JPMA's Statement Regarding the Elimination of Drop Side Cribs

MOUNT LAUREL, N.J., March 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA), which represents the leading manufacturers of children's cribs in North America, would like to clarify some information regarding the possible revision to F1169, the voluntary ASTM standard for cribs.

Although drop side hardware rarely fails unless miss-assembled or misplaced upon re-assembly or with secondhand use, it has been proposed that an ASTM subcommittee charged with addressing crib issues consider revisions to the standard that would eliminate such functional drop sides, thereby reducing the need for hardware assemblies altogether.

Despite some misinformation circulating in the media, the ASTM Cribs Subcommittee has not officially accepted any proposals nor have any official actions been taken at this point to modify the standard. Rather, a proposal was submitted for discussion by members of the subcommittee to modify ASTM Standard F1169 to address the issues related to the misassemble of drop sides, missing components, and other issues that may result in failures in drop side cribs.

Among the solutions discussed was to modify the standard to remove the option for vertically moving side rails as a way to eliminate the issue altogether. There was a great deal of discussion and the group in attendance agreed that a task group should be formed to modify the proposal to address the technical concerns raised. Once the task group completes the draft, it will be sent to the subcommittee for review. If acceptable, the proposed revision to the standard will be reviewed and balloted per the normal ASTM consensus process to the entire Consumer Products Subcommittee. If the proposed revision discussed makes it through the process successfully, the revised standard would eliminate traditional drop side cribs.

The ASTM Crib Subcommittee that has jurisdiction of Standard F1169 is comprised of manufacturers, end users, retailers, regulators including the Consumer Product Safety Commission, testing labs, and consumer advocates among others.

"It's important to remember that the safest place for babies to sleep is in a crib that meets current safety standards and has a firm, tight-fitting mattress," said Michael Dwyer, CAE, JPMA's Executive Director. "There have been numerous studies that show the hidden dangers of unsafe sleeping conditions such as placing baby on an adult bed, a couch, or a chair. This is a danger of which many parents and caregivers are unaware."

JPMA offers the following tips to parents to create a safe sleeping environment:

• Infants should ALWAYS sleep in a crib, which meets current Federal and ASTM standards;
• The crib mattress should fit snugly with no more than two fingers width, one-inch, between the edge of the mattress and the crib side. Otherwise, the baby can get trapped between the mattress and the side of the crib;
• Remove pillow-like bumpers and soft bedding;
• Look for the JPMA Certification Seal.

For more information about creating a safe sleeping environment for baby, please visit the JPMA Web site, www.jpma.org.

The Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association is a national trade organization of more than 300 companies in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. JPMA exists to advance the interests, growth, and well-being of North American prenatal to preschool product manufacturers, importers, and distributors marketing under their own brands to consumers. It does so through advocacy, public relations, information sharing, product performance certification, and business development assistance conducted with appreciation for the needs of parents, children, and retailers.