Somewhere in just about every baby advice book, you'll find a passage that goes something like this: Never buy or accept a used crib for your baby. I remember being offered a free crib for my son, born in 2001. The crib was straight out of the 70s mold of rickety plastic, and looked about ready to collapse even without a baby rolling or jumping inside of it. Good Minnesotan that I am, I found a way to politely refuse the well-intended offer. Cribs often rank near or at the top of lists of used things not to buy. But just in case a few expecting parents out there didn't get the hint, the federal government has stepped in with tough new standards that practically outlaw the sale or donation of any cribs made before July 23, 2010. Media coverage of the new standards, which went into effect last Tuesday, focused largely on how they would impact the sale and cost of new cribs (and the fact that drop-side cribs are now completely banned for the dangers they present). But the regulations also governed used cribs -- a fact being promoted by Just Between Friends, a consignment sale organization with sales of baby items scheduled in eight Twin Cities area communities. In a press release, the organization pointed out that cribs made between July 23, 2010, and June 28, 2011, can still be sold or donated if they come with a certificate of compliance from the original manufacturer or retailer. (JBF's interest, of course, is in maintaining interest in its upcoming consignment sales, but it has been out front on the issue of crib safety. It banned sales of any drop-side cribs at its events two years ago.)