Killer crib, dude!
Vote now, and help turn Design*Sponge's DIY contest into a potentially lifesaving learning opportunity for everyone about the safety hazards posed by crib slats that are more than the government-mandated 2 3/8 inches apart [head gets stuck, entrapment, choking, suffocation] and by filling your kid's crib with soft bedding [suffocation].
Look, I'm all for freelancing on your kid's furniture and toys and whatnot, but start by studying up on the Consumer Product Safety Commission's safety standards for whatever you're making. Check them again in the middle of the process, and then check them again at the end.
On the bright side, I bet that tole painting is done with 100% lead-free paint.
2008 D*S DIY Contest: VOTE! [entries 9-12] [designspongeonline.com via andy]
Regulated Products > Cribs - full size and non-full size, FHSA 1500 [cpsc.gov]
not to add that it looks like a back breaker. is it me or is that crib mattress basically on the floor? That kid looks like she weighs at least 20 lbs...
Just looking at it, I'd say the rail height is way too low as well- should be 26" from the mattress platform to the top of the rail. I would guess that's in the 18-20" range. Fortunately the kid won't have far to fall after she climbs out (and the bumpers make the climbing so much easier). That slat spacing is terrifying though. What is that, 4"?
[at least. which'd make those 6" boards, and which makes the overall interior length 32". If they're 8" boards, though, that gap is easily 5", for a length of 44", just under the non-full-size crib cutoff. which means the rail height requirement is only 20". -ed.]
Clearly you misunderstand. In this case the slats are so spread to prevent the babe getting stuck. He, she, or it can just crawl right through-hence the back-breaking height- on a personal quest to pull the lamp down from the table.
I'm not sure what's crazier, the fact that someone built this crib and puts their kid in it, or the comments on the website about how silly it is to worry about safety issues like slat width and soft bedding because "I was a kid in the 1960s and here I am alive today!" And do my eyes deceive me, or are the ends completely open except for the bumper? Not that it matters, given that she can easily climb up the curtains.
I wish I had a penny for every time someone ignored sample selection bias. ("Why, we didn't worry about peanut allergies back in the day and I'm still alive!" Because all the other kids whose parents really had something to worry about back then? They're dead now. And the kids whose parents pay attention in this paranoid and better-informed present? They are alive.) I'd be richer than Bill Gates.
[there is at least one slat on the end, probably two close together, since they're either 6 or 8 inches wide. they're just covered up by all the soft bedding. -ed.]
Thanks for your comments both here and at Design*Sponge. I think it's a huge oversight to excuse poor/dangerous design on the basis the this is a DIY competition. This crib screams danger not matter how pretty it may be.
Thanks for your comments both here and at Design*Sponge. I think it's a huge oversight to excuse poor/dangerous design on the basis the this is a DIY competition (which is the attitude that far too many take in the comments on d*s). This crib screams danger not matter how pretty it may be.
In 1972, my former fiance's older twin sister died when she got trapped in a crib. Design or not, who doesn't know about crib safety. The design of the crib infuriates me.
Surely, a design competition would judge usefulness as well as aesthetics? If I'd created a chair with three legs that tips you off as soon as you sit on it, I would be a laughing stock, but in this case, the people commenting on the dangerousness are considered to be freaking out and vilifying the creators. Makes me remember why I don't usually read comments (except on Daddytypes, of course!).
@Deanne: oh, SNAP!
We've been following this thread here and on d*s. I echo your sentiment. Many of the comments are indeed baffling. What baffles me more, is the stubborn defiance displayed by d*s. When so many have pointed out the concrete hazards of this piece's construction, wouldn't you think they'd acquiesce to apologize, and take photo down? Sure, they've amended the post with semi-ass-covering warnings, and they plan to alter the original plans to meet CPSC guidelines. But having to do all that just to make the thing usable underscores the fact that it's a bad design, doesn't it?
spaces between slats ARE TOOO FAR APART!! TOO BIG!! I agree, cribs should not be so high, babies eventually learn to climb out, they have a fall, this crib, not much far to fall!