Cribs are supposed to offer parents a safe-haven to leave their babies. But new research suggests they can be dangerous.
Nearly 182,000 babies and toddlers under 2 were treated in emergency rooms between 1990 and 2008 for injuries in cribs, playpens and bassinets, according to a new study in the journal Pediatrics.
While the government and safety gurus have sounded the alarm on crib deaths -- some 9 million cribs have been recalled by the Consumer Product Safety Commission since 2007 for safety concerns -- researchers in this new study are calling it the first to investigate crib-related injuries.
Despite recent attention paid to crib safety, 26 children a day are injured in cribs in the United States, the report states. The authors are calling for more stringent safety standards as a House committee plans to discuss crib safety concerns.
Two-thirds of the injuries involved falls, particularly from drop-side cribs, a ban on which will go into effect in June. The vast majority of children taken to ERs were treated and released. The rate of injuries actually declined over the 19-year study period, but the number remained high, the authors write.