Playkids U.S.A. is recalling about 2,000 convertible cribs after the death of a 5-month-old child in Brooklyn, N.Y. According to an October 16, 2008 news report in Consumeraffairs.com, the infant suffocated and died after getting trapped between the mattress and the drop side rail of the crib. The sides of the convertible crib are apparently made of a mesh that expands, creating a gap between the mattress and the side through which an infant can slip and get trapped.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission also issued an alert about this serious product defect, which poses a significant hazard to young children. This recall specifically involves the Playkids U.S.A. convertible crib/playpen/bassinet/bed with model number PLK-909. “Playkids U.S.A.” can be found on the packaging and on a label attached to the side of the crib. The model number can be found on the crib’s packaging. These defective convertible cribs were sold in juvenile product retailers in New York from March 2007 through September 2008 for about $100.

Consumers who own these recalled cribs are asked to immediately stop using them and contact Playkids U.S.A. for a complete refund. Those seeking more information are asked to call Playkids U.S.A. at 718-797-0302.

More than 1 million cribs have been recalled last year alone. A majority of these cribs, including the many recalled Simplicity cribs, were manufactured in China. Unless we have safeguards in place and a stringent quality control process to ensure that the products we import are safe, we are going to see more incidents of infants and young children getting seriously injured or killed by these dangerous and defective products.

If you or someone you know has been seriously injured as a result of these or other defective products, I’d like to hear about it.