This morning, while checking my email during breakfast, I discovered this:
Dear Customer:
Our records indicate that you purchased a Pottery Barn Kids drop-side crib from our catalog or website. These cribs were sold from January 1999 through March 2010 for approximately $XX. In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Pottery Barn Kids is voluntarily recalling all drop-side cribs to provide a fixed-gate conversion kit that will immobilize the rail on your drop-side crib. The CPSC has determined that drop-side cribs pose an entrapment, suffocation or fall hazard. The cribs’ drop-sides can detach when hardware breaks, creating a space into which a child can become caught, which can lead to suffocation. A child can also fall out of the crib. Drop-side incidents can also occur due to incorrect assembly and with age-related wear and tear.This recall involves all models of Pottery Barn Kids drop-side cribs.Please inspect the hardware on your crib immediately to ensure that it is not broken and is working properly. Do not use any crib with missing or broken hardware. Please call Pottery Barn Kids customer service at (877) 804-3847 to receive your free fixed-gate conversion kit. For your convenience, your order number was XXX. Please reference your order number when you call.We appreciate your cooperation and apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you. Should you have any questions, please feel free to call us from 7 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week, at (877) 804-3847, or visit our website at www.potterybarnkids.com. Very truly yours,Pottery Barn Kids
Copyright 2009 Pottery Barn Kids, Direct Marketing Dept, 3250 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94109.All rights reserved. To read about our privacy policy, click here.
So I immediately called the customer service number and requested two fixed-side conversion kits. But I'm not so sure how I feel about the recall. Yes, over the past six or so months numerous drop-side cribs have been recalled due to "safety issues". However, here is what my confliction results from.
Since their cribs have been assembled, I have performed periodic safety checks. Sounds a little obsessive you may say?! Hey! You can NEVER be too careful when it comes to your child's safety. And my kids spend a lot of time in their cribs, sleeping at night and taking naps. Well, the screws that support Kathryn's drop side have needed tightening several times. Do I think it is a design flaw? NO. Do I think the screws are defective? NO. I simply think when something gets a lot of wear and tear, it could need some attention. If those safety checks hadn't been performed and those screws hadn't been tightened, we could have possibly had some issues with that side of her crib detaching. Am I upset with the manufacturer of my crib? No. That's crazy!
Will we install the fixed side conversion kits? Yes. Will I stop performing my periodic safety checks? NO. But I wonder how many parents will rely upon the installation of their fixed side kits or even worse, rely upon the percieved "safety" of the cribs they purchased that do not have drop sides. So I leave you with this thought...should you start checking yours?
1 comment:
I think I feel the same way. A lot of my brand of cribs were recalled before we bought them. My mom freaked out and called me to make sure mine wasn't one of them. The reason for the recall: the slats were weak and could be kicked out. No offense, but if your kiddo is big enough to kick out slats... it might not be the crib manufactures fault that the crib 'failed'.
Many of these recalls are like that (finger could be caught in the stroller folding mechanism etc). Nothing is 100% safe and it's up to the parents to be more proactive than the manufacturers. Good Point :)
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