Parents urged to keep infants out of adult beds

Infant safe-sleep advocates are scrambling to ensure that parents reacting to the biggest crib recall in American history don't put their babies in greater danger by placing them to sleep with adults or other children.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada are urging parents and caregivers to immediately stop using any of the 2.1 million drop-side cribs manufactured by Stork Craft of Richmond, British Columbia, until they get a kit to replace defective hardware. More than 1.2 million of the cribs were sold in the United States.

The head of the Consumer Product Safety Commission on Tuesday promised swift action to get dangerous products off the market, acknowledging that the agency didn't move quickly enough on the record recall of the cribs, which have been linked to four deaths.

"We were not advancing this case as quickly as possible," Chairman Inez Tenenbaum said in an interview with The Associated Press. "So, I put all of the resources for the agency on this project so that they could accomplish this goal of recalling the crib."

In the meantime, parents are advised to find an "alternative, safe-sleeping environment for their baby," the CPSC said in a statement that did not elaborate.

But infant safety groups were quick to warn parents not to let the recall encourage them to take their babies to bed with them.

"We want parents and anyone caring for an infant to know that a safe-sleep environment for a baby does not include sharing an adult bed or being placed in a bed with another child of any age," said Eileen Carlins, director of support and education at Sudden Infant Death Services of Pennsylvania and Cribs for Kids, a national organization dedicated to making sure all babies have a safe place to sleep.

The situation is difficult because many parents may not have a backup crib and may be unwilling or financially unable to buy another crib they may have to use only for a few weeks while waiting for the repair kit.

"There just are not a lot of safe options," said Laura Reno, vice president of public affairs for the infant-survival group First Candle. "Many families may have or could borrow a play yard type crib, bassinet or cradle, but it's important to make sure their baby meets the size and weight requirements for any temporary infant bed they might use, and they should not put any additional bedding into these products."

Carlins said Cribs for Kids, which has affiliates in 44 states, "will work with families to do whatever we can to help them get a safe place for their baby," including discount coupons for the Graco fold-up travel cribs the organization typically distributes.