When I imagine the type of retail establishment that would tell the crib industry that the safety standards set by the federal government aren't good enough, and that all manufacturers who want to sell their cribs at its stores must meet additional requirements, I imagine expensive, high-end children's boutiques. You know the shops - filled with hand-knit layette sets and $5000 cribs lovingly carved from rescued wood from the Amazon rainforest.
But actually, the retailer in question is Toys R Us, which recently announced that - because of problems with products that just barely met existing code - it was setting a "wood density standard to ensure the strength of wood slats. It has also set standards for how the slats are attached to the cribs' frames," according to a report in the Chicago Tribune.
Because Toys R Us sells hundreds of thousands of cribs a year, experts expect other retailers to follow in its footsteps.
Who knew a giant like Toys R Us would step up and demand safer products for our kids? Next thing you know, Wal-Mart is going to start a nursing support group.
