For
many expecting parents, visions of pastel, color-coordinated nurseries
dance alongside mounds of fluffy pillows and luxurious baby bedding.
Unfortunately, these bedding sets are almost always more stylish than
safe, and in some cases they can be downright dangerous. There are some
guidelines that new parents should adhere to when choosing a crib and
bedding for their upcoming bundle of joy, making sure that certain
requirements are met and dangers avoided before Baby’s first slumber in
her new nursery.
- Avoid SIDS by Eschewing Soft Bedding – The American
Academy of Pediatrics strongly recommends that new parents eschew all
crib bedding apart from a fitted sheet for the first twelve months of
their baby’s life. Opting for wearable blankets rather than loose
blankets and placing babies on their backs to sleep with no pillows or
plush toys can prevent the risk of suffocation. If you do choose to use a
blanket in your infant’s crib, the Consumer Product Safety Commission
suggests positioning your baby so that her feet are touching the bottom
rails of her crib, tucking the blanket in at the bottom and sides of the
mattress, and only pulling the blanket up to her chest. Keep in mind
that babies can overheat much more easily than adults, and you should
use only lightweight blankets to ensure that she stays warm.
- Make Sure Your Mattress Fits Tightly in the Crib –
Your baby’s crib mattress should be firm, not soft, to help reduce the
risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and suffocation. It should also fit
tightly into the crib to prevent suffocation or entrapment between the
mattress and the crib’s sides. Ideally, you should be able to fit no
more than two fingers between the side of the mattress and the frame of
the crib. The surface of the mattress shouldn’t conform to an adult hand
when pressed into the mattress, and it should snap back into place as
soon as the hand is removed.
- Forgo the Antiques – The ornate, antique crib used
by three generations of your family might be a beautiful piece of
furniture, and every child that used it may have survived their infancy,
but that doesn’t necessarily make it a safe choice. In addition to the
unlikelihood of slats and bars being properly spaced on very old cribs,
they may also feature drop sides, which have been banned, and even a
layer or two of lead-based paint. Let good sense trump sentimentality,
and choose a new crib that adheres to modern safety standards.
- If You Do Choose Decorative Bedding, Play it Smart –
If you simply can’t bear the idea of skipping the magazine
layout-worthy crib bedding to show off Baby’s nursery to the fullest, be
smart about your decision and make sure that the fitted sheet is snug,
thin, and breathable. When it’s time to put your baby down, be sure to
pull every pillow, stuffed toy, comforter and any other soft objects out
of the crib first. Parents determined to have a nursery ready for
photographs as well as a lowered risk of their baby suffering from SIDS,
suffocation, or injury are forced to compromise in just such a manner,
but can have the best of both worlds by playing it safe and smart.
- Do Your Homework About Crib Bumpers – The city of
Chicago has banned the sale of crib bumpers altogether, with advocacy
groups across the country crying out for similar bans on a national
level. Parents are largely divided into two camps these days: pro-bumper
and anti-bumper. If you fall into the former, be sure to research the
subject thoroughly and apprise yourself of all the risks before tying
those bumpers onto Baby’s crib; namely, the risk of suffocation and the
impediment of air flow in the crucial area at your baby’s face level on
all four sides of her crib. Also, don’t be fooled into thinking that
bumpers are safe once the threat of SIDS has largely passed; older
babies and young toddlers have been known to use bumpers as a means of
climbing out of their cribs, leading to messy falls and giving them
access to dangerous situations. Both the American Academy of Pediatrics
and the Consumer Product Safety Commission have given crib bumpers a
thumbs-down, so it might be wise to think twice before springing for
those adorable but potentially-deadly accessories.
- Do a Recall Check – Before purchasing nursery
furniture or bedding, make sure that you check for any recalls; repeat
these checks regularly after you’ve made your purchase as well to ensure
that safety hazards haven’t been discovered since the last time you
looked. The Consumer Product Safety Commission website is a great
resource for recall information.
In addition to making sure that you’ve chosen furniture and bedding
that adhere to the standards set by the American Academy of Pediatrics,
the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Juvenile Product
Manufactures Association, parents should also take care to place cribs
away from windows, and to secure blind cords and curtain ties to prevent
strangulation.
P.S. This post was proposed to me for publication by Kaitlyn Johnson. I'm therefore publishing it by her invitation and
under her permission. See also the link below fore more information:
http://www.newborncare.com/blog/baby-crib-safety-before-and-after-you-buy/
