Parents can expect another recall of drop side cribs tomorrow.  The Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) has not announced what cribs will be involved in the recall, but media outlets are already reporting that it it will  be one of the biggest crib recalls in U.S. history.

A safety expert told CBS News that parents should check the CPSC Web site to determine if the crib they are using has already been recalled, especially if it has drop sides.  The CPSC has also cautioned consumers to double check the hardware on their cribs, to insure that side rails can’t move back and forth.  Finally, the agency is urging parents to no longer move the side rail up and down on any drop side crib.

At least one retailer, Toys ‘R Us has already decided to phase out drop side cribs, and has quit ordering the beds from manufacturers. According to CBS News, the legislature in Suffolk County, on New York’s Long Island, has banned the sale of dropdown side cribs, starting in February.

CPSC Chair Inez Tenenbaum told CBS News that her agency would soon be proposing mandatory safety standards for cribs.  The agency has allowed voluntary standards up until now, but that has not been enough, she said.

Nearly 5 million cribs have been recalled since 2007, and many of these recalls have involved cribs with drop sides.  Drop side cribs are popular because they allow caregivers to easily access the beds. Unfortunately, poor design, poorly written assembly directions, or broken pieces can all cause the side rail to fall unexpectedly, or separate from the rest of the bed, creating an entrapment hazard. In many instances, children have been injured and even killed after becoming entrapped in a gap between the side rail and headboard of a drop side crib.