Simplicity and Graco crib recalls: Is your crib on the list?

Hundreds of thousands of Simplicity and Graco cribs were recalled Thursday by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) because they pose serious risks to infants and toddlers.

The recall involves some 217,000 Graco-branded cribs sold between February 2007 and March 2010 as well as an untold number of Simplicity cribs, whose manufacturer is no longer in business.

If you own one of the affected models, stop using it immediately, the CPSC says. The Simplicity cribs' mattress-support frame can bend or detach, causing part of the mattress to collapse. In 2008, a one-year-old suffocated after getting trapped between the crib mattress and the crib frame, the CPSC says.

The CPSC also has 99 reports of the drop side of the Graco-labeled cribs becoming detached, creating a hazardous gap that has trapped at least two children between the drop side and the crib mattress.

Until you get the crib replaced or officially retrofitted, "put your child in a safe sleeping environment," says Patty Davis, spokeswoman for the CPSC. "What we recommend is a play yard."

Here's what to do if you think your crib is on the recall list:

•Graco cribs: The recall involves wooden drop-side cribs made for Graco by LaJobi Inc. Look for the name LaJobi on the product sticker located on the stabilizer bar or bottom rail of the crib. The affected models are Ashleigh, Hampton, Jason, Kendal, Lauren, Rachel, Sarah, Shannon, and Tifton. (You can see the CPSC's notice here.)

Write down the model number that's on the sticker. Then go to LaJobi's recall website here or call its automated hotline (888) 842-2215. (If the phone system seems a little finnicky, keep trying. Make sure you have a strong signal.) LaJobi will send a free retrofit kit that immobilizes the drop side, making the crib safe to use, the CPSC says.

"They'll be shipping next week," says Ilya Welfeld, a spokeswoman for LaJobi.

•Simplicity cribs: All the company's full-size cribs with tubular metal mattress-support frames are being recalled, fixed side as well as drop side. The models include (but are not limited to) the Aspen 4-in-1 (Model no. 8755), Chelsea Deluxe 4-in-1 Convertible Sleep System (8324), Graco 4-in-1 Ultra Sleep System (4600), Graco Aspen 3-in-1 (8740), Simplicity Crib and Changer Combo (8994), Simplicity Ellis Deluxe 4-in-1 Convertible Sleep System (8676), and the Simplicity Nursery-in-a-Box Convertible Crib (8910). (For more detail, see the CPSC's notice here.)

The cribs were sold at Walmart, Target, Babies R Us and other retailers around the United States for between $150 and $300.

Since the manufacturer is out of business, take your recalled crib to the store you bought it from. You don't need a receipt, the CPSC says. The stores are prepared to offer a replacement crib, a refund, or a store credit.

"These retailers have really stepped up and they're helping consumers who are in a very difficult situation," says the CPSC's Ms. Davis.