Comments on: Drop-side crib ban: a regulatory taking?

By: William Nuesslein

William Nuesslein — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 16:10:02 +0000

Unfortunately, Mr. Schwartz’s clear and correct analysis will not survive “What if it was your child?”.

“In 1789, 40 percent of all deaths were among children under age five. Infants frequently succumbed to dysentery, diarrhea, and cholera.” People who fear drop-side cribs are really stupid!

By: David Schwartz

David Schwartz — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 12:39:27 +0000

The odds of a child dying from one of the recalled cribs are approximately equal to the odds of that child dying in a plane crash during that same time. If you sleep in one of the recalled cribs, you are 30 times more likely to die in an automobile accident than in the crib. You are 10 times more likely to be murdered.

This assumes the average child spends two years in a crib. It includes only the risk of death from other causes during those two years, not lifetime risks. It assumes each recalled crib was used by exactly one child prior to be recalled. It also assumes that children have approximately the same risk of death from these causes as adults do. So the order of magnitude should be right, but it’s not intended to be precise.

By: Retailer359

Retailer359 — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 20:01:19 +0000

Being directly involved in this industry (as a retailer), I feel I can say with a high degree of certainty that the impetus for removing drop-side cribs from the market originates from consumer organizations and fear-based campaigns. The response by manufacturers, who saw this coming, was to stop making drop-side cribs so they (we) wouldn't be stuck with unsellable inventory. While manufacturers will benefit from the liability insurance reduction and forseeable misuse lawsuits, I doubt any of them appreciate being told their products aren't safe (not to mention the pressure that has already started to recall every drop-side crib in existence). Woe to those of short stature and chronic back pain, the rallying cry of "For the children" supercedes rational decision-making. It would be nice to see the bans challenged, but anyone doing so can expect to face the typical "why do you want to kill our kids" argument (which, incidentally, is the reason I'm posting pseudonymously).

By: Doug

Doug — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 17:01:18 +0000

Most of the drop down cribs my wife and I ever owned costs around $100 of so. Still, this is a terrible reg. All, I believe, because 32 children died in such cribs. Let’s just ignore the millions of hours infants have spent in these cribs without any injury or harm. The nannies know best.