I know that you, and your parents, and probably your grandparents, used drop-side cribs as infants, and you all turned out just fine. But these cribs are dangerous, and after a couple of years of writing about their dangers, I am very happy that the government has finally, after dozens of toddler deaths, banned all drop-side cribs. In the past decade their have been at least 30 reported deaths of infants and toddlers, and literally millions of recalls of drop-side cribs.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has now unanimously voted to ban the manufacture, sale, and resale of the cribs. The new rule will require all cribs to have fixed sides. It takes effect in June 2011, although certain businesses such as hotels will be given a longer period of time in which to replace drop-side cribs.