In the U-S, the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the recall of 635,000 Dorel Asia cribs  after the death of a six-month-old boy and multiple reports of injuries.  Nearly 7,600 drop side cribs are also being voluntarily recalled in Canada. The concern is the drop-side can detach, creating a space where a child can be trapped.

The infant from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, strangled after getting trapped in the crib when the drop-side hardware broke. In a  statement from Dorel Asia, the company described the circumstances leading to this death as “highly unusual,” because the crib was known to be broken and had been held together with duct tape.

The cribs were manufactured by Barbados-based Dorel Asia in China and Vietnam, and sold in Canada at Sears, Babies R Us and various other retailers.

Dorel Distribution Canada said today it had received three reports of the drop-side detaching from the crib and four other incidents were the slats on the crib broke. No injuries were reported. Health Canada said it had received two reports of incidents with no injuries.

A free repair kit can be obtained from Dorel Distribution that converts the drop-side of the crib to a fixed side.

For more information, contact Dorel Distribution Canada at 1-800-295-1980 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. EST,  http://www.dorelcanada.com/.