Boston Personal Injury Attorney Blog
If there’s a young child in your household — Listen up! Officials with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recently released new standards to help to keep children safe in play yards.
Play yards are those framed enclosures that have a solid floor and fabric or mesh for side panels. They can be folded for storage or for travel. They can also be dangerous for your child.
Last month, CPSC officials announced new standards as a part of the Danny Keysar Child Product Safety Notification Act. It’s also called “Danny’s Law” and it was named after a young child who was killed back in 1998 in Chicago while he was napping. He was napping in one of these play yards when it collapsed and he was suffocated. The Act is working to make sure that this doesn’t happen to another family.
Our Boston child injury lawyers understand that these devices are designed to offer our children a safe place to play and nap. Unfortunately, many of the designs are faulty and can serve up some serious dangers to children. With the new standards, the design should be safer and should provide parents with more peace of mind.
New Standards for Play Yards from the CPSC:
-Play yards must have safe rails. They can’t have rails that have sharp edges that can cut children.
-They’re required to have stronger brackets. These brackets are to help to prevent any kind of sharp edges or cracks to prevent a collapse.
-The mattresses are to be sturdier. The attachments that keep the mattresses to the floor are also required to be sturdier. This is to help children from getting trapped, suffocated or sustaining other injuries.
There are other things that parents can do to help to ensure their child’s safety while in play yards and in cribs. These safety precautions start with the items you place in with the children. You want to be careful of the pillow and blankets you offer your child. We want them to be comfortable, but we want them to be safe.
Officials with the CPSC estimate that there were about 700 children under 12-months who were killed from 1998 to 2010 because of the pillow and blankets that were in their cribs and sleep environment. The safest way to allow your child in a crib is with no pillows, no heavy quilts, no thick blankets, no pillow-like stuffed toys or other large stuffed toys and no child carrying devices, recliners or sleep positioners.
Be cautious of what you offer your child in their crib or play yard. Sometimes, the soft and comforting items can quickly turn deadly.
If you or your child has been injured, contact Jeffrey S. Glassman for a free and confidential consultation to discuss your case. Call 877-617-5333.
More Blog Entries:
Attention New England Parents: Child’s Cough Syrup Recalled, Boston Personal Injury Attorney Blog, February 10, 2013
Bounce House Parties a Big Hit, But Present a Significant Danger of Injury, Boston Personal Injury Attorney Blog, December 6, 2012