A new generation of safer child cribs is on sale at local and national retail stores.  These new regulations were the result of a December 2010 vote by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) approving the new mandatory crib standards.  These new standards are the strictest and most stringent of all crib safety standards in the world.

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Now, all importers, distributors, manufacturers, and retailers are required to offer only cribs that meet the CPSC's new and improved full-size and non-full-size crib standards to prevent child injury in New York and elsewhere.

Our New York personal injury attorneys understand the need for these types of regulations as we've seen the CPSC recall more than 11 million dangerous cribs since 2007.  More than 30 infant suffocations and strangulation deaths have occurred since 2000 because of drop-side cribs with detaching side rails.  A number of other deaths were the result of faulty or defective crib hardware.

"A safe crib is the safest place for a baby to sleep. It is for this reason that I am so pleased that parents, grandparents and caregivers now can shop with confidence and purchase cribs that meet the most stringent crib standards in the world," said Chairman Inez Tenenbaum. "From the start, our goal has been to prevent deaths and injuries to babies in cribs, and now the day has come where only stronger and safer cribs are available for consumers to purchase."

Some of the new mandatory rules to child cribs include:

-Stopping the manufacture and sale of dangerous, traditional drop-side cribs.

-Strengthening mattress supports and crib slats.

-Requiring crib hardware to be more durable.

-Making safety testing more rigorous.

The CPSC is also cracking down on defective and hazardous clothing for children.  Because of the CPSC, Macy's Inc., of Cincinnati, Ohio, has agreed to pay a civil penalty of $750,000 after violation safety laws. In both cases preventing injuries to children is the goal.

Macy's agreed to pay the settlement because of a number of CPSC allegations that the company knowingly failed to report to CPSC that it had sold children's sweatshirts, sweaters and jackets with drawstrings at the neck between 2006 and 2010. These items were sold by Macy's and Macy's-owned stores, including Bloomingdale's, and Robinsons-May.

This type of clothing, children's upper outerwear with drawstrings, poses a strangulation hazard to children that can result in injury or death.

Federal law requires that manufacturers, distributors and retailers report to CPSC in less than 24 hours after receiving information that a product contains a defect which poses a substantial product hazard, creates an unreasonable risk of serious injury or death or fails to comply with any consumer product safety rule enforced by CPSC.