The tragic death of a 19-month-old baby in Myrtle Creek, Oregon, has prompted the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Simplicity Inc., of Reading Pennsylvania, to renew the search for recalled Aspen 3 in 1 Cribs bearing Graco logos.

Anyone having one of these cribs is advised to stop using it immediately and to avoid placing any child in it for any reason. On January 6, 2006, the child suffocated and died after two of the mattress support slats came out of his crib, trapping him between the mattress and the footboard.

CPSC and Simplicity Inc. had issued a recall for about 104,000 Aspen 3 in 1 Cribs on December 21, 2005 (newsinferno.com 12/22/05).

That recall was undertaken because “the screws on the wooden mattress supports can come loose, allowing a portion of the mattress to fall. This poses a suffocation hazard to young children who can slide down and become entrapped between the unsupported mattress and end of the crib.”

Up until the death was reported, Simplicity Inc. had received “14 reports of the mattress supports coming loose, including eight reports of entrapment. Five injuries were reported including scratches and bruises to the face and head, a strained neck and a report of a child turning blue.”

The death, however, has given renewed urgency to the search for the recalled cribs.

While the Graco logo appears on the recalled cribs, they were actually manufactured by Simplicity Inc. Consumers are being directed to contact Simplicity and not Graco concerning the recall.

The affected cribs are made of wood and have wooden mattress supports. Only cribs with wooden mattress supports and with model number 8740KCW SC and serial number 2803 SC (made the 28th week of 2003) to 1605 SC (made the 16th week of 2005) have been recalled. The model and serial number can be found on the envelope attached to the mattress support.

The cribs were sold in children’s product stores and department stores from August 2003 through May 2005 for about $130.

To receive a free repair kit or for more information, consumers can contact Simplicity Inc. at (800) 784-1982 anytime, or visit the Web site at www.simplicityforchildren.com.

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 9th, 2006 at 8:50 am and is filed under Legal News, Defective Products, Product Recalls.