NEWS from CPSC

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

CPSC, Gerry Baby Products Company Issue Warning For Cribs

WASHINGTON, D.C.- In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Gerry Baby Products Company of Denver, Colo., is warning consumers that certain models of its Gerry Baby cribs can collapse if not properly assembled.

Gerry Baby Products Company has received 11 reports of cribs collapsing when children were placed in cribs with incorrectly assembled side rails. Although no injuries have been reported, if the crib's side rail is put on backwards, the mattress support could collapse. As a result, a child can fall or slip through the space between the mattress support and the bottom rail, resulting in serious injury, strangulation, or death. If the crib is assembled according to manufacturer's instructions, there is no risk of collapse.

Gerry Baby Products Company sold 17,043 subject cribs nationwide between May and August 1994. Retail stores and nursery supply stores generally sold the product for about $90. The unassembled cribs were sold in various shades of natural wood and were packaged in a brown cardboard box labeled in part "Gerry Fold-Away Crib... Compact crib that folds in seconds..." When fully assembled, the cribs measure 25.5 inches wide, 39.5 inches long, 26.5 inches deep and 38 inches high.

Consumers who own Gerry Baby cribs model series 8200, 8300, and 8500 should check the manufacturer's date code on a label attached to the crib's hinged mattress support. Consumers should call Gerry Baby Products at (800) 525-2472 for assistance in determining whether or not their crib has been properly put together. Gerry Baby Products will send crib owners a supplemental instruction sheet to help them confirm correct assembly.