PlayKids Convertible Crib Recall Following Infant Death

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission issued another crib recall yesterday, following the death of a 5-month old baby.

Approximately 2,000 PlayKids convertible cribs were recalled, due to a design defect which creates a gap between the mattress and the side of the crib.

On August 31, 2008, an infant from Brooklyn, New York suffocated after becoming entrapped between the mattress and the drop side of a PlayKids convertible crib/playpen/bassinet/bed with model number PLK-909.

Playkids U.S.A., also of Brooklyn, New York, is cooperating with the U.S. CPSC in the crib recall, and they are offering full refunds.

The recalled convertible cribs were sold between March 2007 and September 2008 for about $100 each. The crib recall only applies to model number PLK-909, which is on the packaging and sewn into the side of the crib.

The sides of the crib are made of a mesh which can expand, creating the hazardous gap.

The convertible cribs, which are sold in a variety of colors and patterns, have a drop side rail, a stationary side rail, a canopy and a bassinet. The sides of the crib, the mattress support, the bassinet, the canopy and the bedskirt are covered in fabric and mesh.

Over the past 18 months, the U.S. CPSC has issued crib recalls impacting millions of cribs and bassinets due to defects which posed a potential risk of strangulation or suffocation.