Babies by virtue of their age are young and defenseless. This means that we as parents must do everything in our power to protect them from the environment. Baby cribs serve a useful purpose as the sleeping locations of children as well as areas in which we can leave them safe for an extended amount of time. That being said, manufacturers, in an effort to beat the competition and corner the baby crib market, choose to rush products through the manufacturing line without making sure they are safe for use, leading to crib defects and recalls that can number in the tens of thousands.
Here are some of the ways baby cribs can cause serious injuries:
- They may be too tall in relation to the floor which may lead to head, arm or leg injuries should the child fall out of them.
- The slats that enclose the baby and keep it in the crib may be spaced too far apart, which may make it easy for a child to crawl out of the structure and fall a few feet to the ground.
- The crib may be made of inferior material which may cause it to suddenly collapse with the baby inside of it.
- The drop side rail, due to poor design or inferior materials, can break and lead to the baby becoming trapped between the railing and mattress, resulting in suffocation and death.
Here are some crib safety tips to keep your baby safe:
- Avoid placing soft items and pillows on the surface of the cribUse a mattress that is tight-fitting and firm which doesn’t leave space between it and the crib edges or slats.
- Check to see that the spindles on the crib are all there and that they are not loose.
- Do not buy cribs from thrift stores, especially if they were manufactured before 1990 as they don’t adhere to today’s safety standards.
- Don’t use extra padding on your child’s crib, and set it up according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Whether your baby crib defect was a due to a design, manufacturing or marketing defect, it may be possible to file an unsafe product lawsuit. Please call us today on (773) 673-9861 for your free, confidential and non-committal consultation so we can advise you on the next step to take. Thanks for choosing us.