As of December 2010, The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is banning cribs with drop-down sides because they have been blamed for the deaths of at least 32 infants since 2001. Drop side cribs pose serious safety concerns as they can detach when their hardware breaks, creating a space into which a young child can become entrapped or possibly suffocated. In light of these tragedies the CPSC is requiring child care providers to replace drop side models. Child care facilities will have a year (until June 2012) to purchase new federally compliant cribs. Currently, there are no funds available for child care providers to replace drop side cribs with stationary models. Stationary cribs range from $200-$500 and many centers will need to replace several if not dozens of cribs. Recognizing the magnitude of this issue we reached out to local child care providers to obtain feedback on their concerns and needs of the new regulation. Many child care providers are working with strained budgets. For those who cannot afford to purchase new cribs, many will struggle financially to meet the needs of the children in their care.

For detailed information on safe cribs and hazardous cribs, Consumer Product Safety Commission has the