Update: for some reason, our blog software hasn't been displaying the most recent comments to this thread, so we have created a new post for folks to post comments! (You can read an archive of previous comments here). Please continue to report what you are hearing out there from the stores, Jardine, etc.

UPDATED Monday May 27, 10:15am

We spoke with Babies R Us spokesperson Kathleen Waugh about this issue—BRU has sent the following statement to us:

We've received some quality assurance complaints about broken slats on some Jardine cribs.  While we investigate this with the manufacturer, we have stopped selling all Jardine cribs, as a standard precautionary measure. We have many alternative crib models in our stores. There has not been a recall, but if customers experience a problem with slats on cribs they own, or have other questions, they should contact one of our stores for assistance.

Here is the latest word in a nutshell: late last week, BRU was notified by Jardine and the CPSC about concerns with certain styles of Jardine cribs (see original post below from a reader). The problem: cribs with faulty slats that could fall out, endangering any child inside the crib.

It is unclear at this point how many reports of faulty slats there were; BRU says there have been no injuries. And not all the Jardine cribs are affected (we don't know which ones at this point). But given the serious nature of the potential problem, BRU pulled ALL the Jardine cribs off the shelves—the chain says this is a standard procedure when a potential safety concern is raised.

At this point, it appears that the CPSC and Jardine will take some kind of action on this this week—it could be a recall, but no decision has been made.

Jardine is one of BRU's biggest crib brands—they represent 20% to 25% of the cribs on the floor. With 260 stores selling the brand (which is a BRU exclusive made by Dorel), you can see how this recall could potentially affect hundreds of thousands of cribs.

BRU has admitted that they could have handled the communication on this better—they did send out notices to parents who have these cribs on their registries. And stores were informed about the situation. But as you can see from the comments below, not all BRU store employees got the memo, and this has created much confusion. We urge BRU and Jardine to establish a web site to address this situation.

Pending official word on this, we would urge parents take the following steps:

• If you have a Jardine crib, stop using it. Check the crib carefully for any loose slats—especially on the drop side. If you find a problem, stop using the crib immediately. File a report with the CPSC (cpsc.gov).

• If you have a Jardine crib and it appears to be fine, continue to monitor this blog and news reports for the latest news—again, not all Jardine styles will be affected by a potential recall. If you want to err on the side of caution (and we totally understand), put your child in a safe alternative sleeping space (newborns can sleep in a bassinet, older babies in a Graco Pack N Play, for example) until this matter is resolved.

• If you have a crib on order from Jardine, keep watching this blog and the news. If there is a recall, BRU will be providing refunds, etc. Of course, if your baby is due next month and your crib is now recalled, you have a problem—start thinking about a Plan B crib from another brand or store.

Ok, that's the news for now! Stay tuned for more updates.

Alan & Denise Fields
Authors, BABY BARGAINS

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ORGINAL POST

Reader Jenny S. writes today:

I ordered a jardine crib from babies r us 2 weeks ago and we just found out from them that they will not be selling us the crib because all of the jardine cribs have been pulled off of the floor due to a safety recall. Do you know anything about this? We are getting our money back, but I’m concerned.

—
OK, so I called Babies R Us and they said that Jardine ordered a stop sale on all of its cribs because it was doing a safety inspection. So even if my crib comes in the mail, Babies R Us can’t give it to me until Jardine tells them it’s OK.

This is across all Babies R Us stores.

I told the store clerk about a friend of mine who had already paid and gotten a Jardine crib last month. He said the best thing for her would be to call Jardine and try to get an answer from them about her crib to see if there’s anything wrong.

But right now, all of the Jardine cribs, regardless of make and model, are not able to be sold at Babies R Us.

Did you hear anything from Jardine on this matter?

Our response: We are checking with Jardine/Dorel now! Stay tuned.

Update: 5/22/08—well, we don't know much more on this today than we did yesterday. We did ask a Dorel rep to see if they could comment, but she works for Dorel Juvenile Group. Jardine is made by Dorel Asia, which is a separate subsidiary of Dorel. So we are trying to reach someone with Dorel Asia, but no word yet.

Given past histories of recalls, we should point out that large retailers like Babies R Us often get a "heads up" from manufacturers about safety recalls. Hence, BRU will often pull products off the shelves days (or sometimes even a week) before the "official" notice comes from the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Jardine is a Babies R Us exclusive crib brand made by Dorel Asia, which also sells cribs under its own name to Wal-Mart. One Dorel Asia style is still for sale on Wal-Mart as we write this, so it is unclear if this recall will affect just Jardine cribs at BRU or a wider recall that might affect other retailers. We will post more as we get info!