Jardine cribs recalled

Federal product safety officials announced one of the largest crib recalls in the nation’s history Tuesday, with retailers voluntarily pulling 320,000 items due to breaking slats or spindles that can cause injury.

The cribs were sold over six years in Toys “R” Us and Babies “R” Us stores and affiliates nationwide, beginning in 2002 and ending in May. Twenty-eight models made by Jardine Enterprises, based in Taiwan, are involved, and all were manufactured in China or Vietnam.

Parents can call Jardine at (800) 646-4106 or go to www.jardinecribrecall.com for more details.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has logged 42 cases in which children were able to break the wooden side slats and spindles of their Jardine cribs. Four children were trapped in the resulting gap, with two of them being injured.

Jardine has agreed to give affected consumers vouchers for new cribs, a move praised by child safety advocates. Owners of the one million Simplicity cribs, pulled last September in the country’s largest crib recall, were offered repair kits and replacement hardware.

“We are hoping people will take advantage of this and get the new crib,” said Nancy Cowles, executive director of Kids In Danger, a Chicago-based group that monitors child product safety.

The Jardine recall was the first initiated by a new federal “early warning” system focused on products used by children when they sleep – primarily cribs, bassinets and play yards, said product safety commission spokeswoman Julie Vallese. The project, started the month after the Simplicity recall, brings specialists from different divisions together weekly to compare notes and identify emerging hazards.

Toys “R” Us representatives said the company removed the Jardine cribs from their stores late last month as a “precautionary step” while the commission investigated.