When I was flipping through my October edition of Parents Magazine, I noticed a picture of our crib! Yay! I loved our crib. Look! A picture of our crib! Only, it wasn’t in the section I’d expected…it was in the Product Recall section!
Oh no!
This isn’t really a cause for panic, because Claire hasn’t slept in her crib since the day we dismantled it and took the parts downstairs. But, we’d been thinking about either selling the crib or putting it in deep storage, and we couldn’t do either one with a crib that had been recalled.
So, I looked at the information, checked out the crib, and sure enough: Ours was included in the recall. The company had detailed instructions on what to do, so I filled out their online form. It wasn’t long before I was sent a whole packet of additional information, including what parts to remove from the crib, and what stickers to peel off the crib, and what form to fill out to send back in the pre-paid envelope.
My husband and brother-in-law had assembled the crib. My husband and I dismantled the crib. My husband hid all the little metal parts.
Awesome.
I looked everywhere for an old Band-Aid™ box labeled “Crib Parts.” Or, maybe he used one of the old powdered Gatorade™ tubs? I even looked for a labeled vitamin container. (Are you sensing a theme here? My hubby likes to use recycled containers to house random parts.) He’s good about labeling them, but I’m not good about finding them. He swears he has a system. Unfortunately, the map is in his head and written in his scribbles. 
I looked all afternoon. I muttered under my breath. If we store this, we need the parts. If we sell it, we definitely need the parts.
Parts. Parts. Parts.
Where are the parts??
To get the recall certificate for a new crib, you have to return very specific parts off the crib. This (in theory — **more on that later) ensures that you won’t use or sell the crib after receiving a new one.
I finally gave up. I’d looked everywhere they were supposed to be, and they weren’t there. I’d looked in places they had no place being, and they weren’t there.
When my hubby got home, I told him that I’d been searching for the crib parts. He told me the room where they were, and I told him that I’d looked in that room. All over that room! As I was talking to him, I walked in there, looked up at a container that I’d looked at earlier (and old bolt container, actually), and he said, “There it is!”
I couldn’t believe it. It had been there the whole time. In his defense, he had labeled it. In my defense, I’d seen these weird long pieces through the clear container and immediately dismissed it without looking at the label. I had no idea that some of the bolts were that long! Doh!
So, with the container in hand, I followed the instructions and gathered the proper parts, signed the form, unstuck the stickers, and sealed it all in the pre-paid envelope. The coupon for a brand new crib has since arrived.
We have six months to purchase the new crib. So, now, I’m on the search for the most popular, most sellable crib in our price-range. It’s daunting, but doable.
**Okay, so here’s a little Public Service Announcement that I alluded to earlier:
In my search for the most marketable crib, I took a peek at Craigslist to see what cribs are out there. Do you know how many I found that say, “Great crib! Great condition! Missing a couple of hardware pieces! But, they should be easy to find at the local hardware store!” Ummmmmmmm. RED FLAG. Either those people have misplaced the parts (which, looking back, could be easy to do), OR the crib has been recalled! IF you buy a crib off Craigslist or anywhere else for that matter, do your homework. Make sure the sellers aren’t trying to make an extra buck by selling the remaining parts of a recalled crib.
The thought of selling or giving away or even using our recalled crib again made me sick to my stomach. The ethics involved in that situation make my head spin. But, not everyone sees it the same way, so beware!
Ahem…now that I have that off my chest…back to the story at hand…
In the meantime, my hubby has grandiose plans for the old crib parts. Rather than just toss them out with the trash, I think we’re going to use part of the old rail as a bedrail for Claire’s new bed. Whatever he does, it will look nice and be safe. He’s quite talented and motivated when it comes to using recycled parts.
Plus, I’ve given him a timeline. If it’s not done by the deadline, I’ll haul the pieces to the curb myself.
And, the good thing about a brand new crib already in a box, never opened? (Other than really giving the neighbors something to talk about when they see us unloading a crib!? Ha ha ha!) All of the parts are in one, contained place. There won’t be a random recycled container with a scribbled label anywhere near it. 
Today is Day 22 of 30 in the NaBloPoMo Challenge! Check it out!
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