There is currently a voluntary ban on the manufacture of drop side cribs. There is plans to make the ban mandatory:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-crib-20100508,0,3553984.story
I mean, give it to someone else for that purpose. I know plenty of people who faced the arrival of Baby 2.0 when Baby 1.0 was no more than 15 or 18 months. We never bought a specific “toddler” bed, just went straight to grown-up size, but people do, especially if they haven’t much space.
I would give it away on Craigslist or Freecycle with the full warning about drop-side cribs posted. Even if you are going along with the “recall”, others can certainly make a reasoned judgment that the whole thing is bullshit. 30 deaths out of how many millions of cribs in use with this styling? Personally, I’d take that risk, even with my precious baby. (In fact, my precious baby - well, toddler - is upstairs asleep in a drop-side crib at this very moment.) As long as a parent is actually acting with all the facts, I don’t think you need to feel any guilt about it.
Here’s an idea I just saw on a crafty blog.
LOL nice!