What do to about old Cribs?

LunchBoxMom:

Reader Kate Asks:
We inherited a drop-side crib from a relative, which is close to 15 years old. It has always been shaky and the drawer underneath is falling apart, and do not need it.
The question is - do we throw out the 15 year old banned crib? We really don't need it, just the mattress (we have a plethora of safe portable cribs as well as our current crib) and in my mind it isn't safe. My husband has that New England hesitancy to throw out anything, which I respect.

So I am curious about other people's reactions to this. Will parents be willing to take hand-me-down cribs that are now banned? Is there a limit to how old the crib is? My sister has a drop-side crib, too, but it is only 8 years old and in better condition.

I have this image of an epic layer of cribs in the landfills across America due to this ban, but then I figure that there are people who just can't shell out the price of a new non-drop-side crib. "


Lunch Box Mom Says:

I'll get the ball rolling by putting Kate's question in context. This June, the consumer product safety commission recalled 2.2 million cribs from 7 manufacturers. Most, but not all, were drop-side. The CPSC is working to ban the drop-side design in the future.

In terms of Kate's question, older cribs have never been ideal, however, and the CPSC says not to use any that is older than 10 years. Even second hand mattresses are discouraged (I read on study about these and SIDS.).

Most of the recalled cribs have a "kit" for fixing them--but should not be fixed by the actual owner.

Still, with 9 million cribs being recalled over the past 5 years, it's clear that giving or accepting a second hand crib is a bit of a gamble, especially if the new owner does not stay up to speed on the latest recalls.

So, what is a person do to with an old crib?

-Sarah (Lunch Box Mom)

Link to story on recall here.