Following reports of three infant suffocation deaths in the United States, about 1,200 drop-side cribs sold in Canada between 2001 and 2004 are being recalled.

Announcing on Wednesday, Health Canada said that the model numbers 592081, 592681 and 597431 for drop-side cribs made by Generation 2 Worldwide in the United States and China, are being recalled.

The recalled cribs carry the name "Generation 2 Worldwide" or "ChildESIGNS". These were being sold by major retailers nationwide, including The Bay and Sears Canada.

Mississauga-based Caramia Furniture said, "About 500 `Diane' cribs were sold in Canada between September 2002 and December 2005. Another 1,000 were sold in the United States, where there were 18 reports of slats detaching soon after assembly".

The U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said on Thursday, "This can pose fall and entrapment hazards to the child". The Commission added that there have been no reported injuries.

David Mc Quaid, Caramia General Manager, on Friday, ruled the complaints as "dated", elaborating that "the company already traced the problem to a manufacturing glitch affecting a small batch of about 20 cribs shipped to the United States for distribution".

"Anyone who bought the crib and opened it and started to use it, they would have noticed the slats were loose straight away. That was the indicator", said Mc Quaid.

The company, in the meantime, has offered a free replacement drop side as a precautionary move.