Federal officials announce massive crib recall

MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS

Federal product safety officials announced one of the largest crib recalls in the nation’s history Tuesday, with retailers voluntarily pulling 320,000 items due to breaking slats or spindles that can cause injury.

The cribs were sold over six years in Toys “R” Us and Babies “R” Us stores and affiliates nationwide, beginning in 2002 and ending in May. Twenty-eight models made by Jardine Enterprises, based in Taiwan, are involved and all were manufactured in China or Vietnam.

Parents can call Jardine at (800) 646-4106 or go to www.jardinecribrecall.com for more details.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has logged 42 cases in which children were able to break the wooden side slats and spindles of their Jardine cribs. Four children were trapped in the resulting gap, with two of them being injured.

Jardine has agreed to give affected consumers vouchers for new cribs, a move praised by child safety advocates. Owners of the one million Simplicity cribs, pulled last September in the country’s largest crib recall, were offered repair kits and replacement hardware.

The consumer product safety commission put blame for the Simplicity crib failure on a flawed design and hardware that allowed parents to install the drop-rails upside down, which could cause the rail to pull away from the frame. The agency linked the cribs to seven injuries and three deaths, including one of a 2-year-old girl living west of Boca Raton who died when her head got stuck in a gap that opened between the mattress and the frame.

Toys “R” Us representatives said the company removed the Jardine cribs from their stores late last month.