It's a small measure of comfort for a Chicago area mother who lost her son 14 years ago. Little Danny Keysar was in a play yard at his day care, when it collapsed, strangling him.
Now the Consumer Product Safety Commission has voted to boost the safety requirements for play yards, play pens, and other similar products.
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While most major manufacturers have altered their designs, millions of the older products are still used second-hand, passed down through generations, sold at garage sales and consignment stores.
Danny's mother says everyone needs to know about the safety concerns. "No one at Danny's childcare home was aware of the recall. Not the owner of the facility, not the family who donated the crib, not the state inspector who had inspected the facility just days before," said Linda Ginzel.
16-month-old Danny is one of 19 children killed in defective play yard accidents.
New Rules to Improve Safety
Here's a detailed look at the new rules, just passed by the Consumer Product Safety Commission to prevent future deaths.
• Stability test to prevent the play yard from tipping over
• Latch and lock mechanisms need to keep the play yard from folding on a child when it is
being used
• Entrapment tests for attachments so a child's head does not get trapped while a bassinet or other accessory is attached
• Requires floor strength tests to ensure structural integrity
• Tests to prevent play yard floor entrapment
• Minimum side height requirements to prevent children from getting out of the play yard on their own
• A test to prevent play yards whose top rails fold downward from using a hinge that creates a V- or diamond shape when folded to prevent head/neck entrapments
The effective date for the play yard mandatory standard is some time in December 2012.
In a statement, the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association said it's pleased with CPSC's tougher standards, and that "infants and toddlers will benefit."