Crib Safety

If you are expecting a new baby, then you should be well informed about crib safety. Not all cribs are safe, which is why crib safety guidelines have been established. Babies were being injured and killed because of the use of unsafe cribs. Consumer agencies such as the US Consumer Product Safety Commission and the National Safety Council have developed guidelines for crib safety that every parent should be aware of. These agencies both have very informative websites that contain everything parents should know regarding crib safety and many other items of interest. Visit both of these websites at www.cpsc.gov and www.nsc.org for everything you need to know about crib safety. Infants and toddlers are at a  higher risk of injury because they don’t know what can hurt them, which is why responsible parents should completely inspect a new baby’s crib for anything that could potentially harm the child.

According to the National Safety Council (NSC),  crib safety consists of making sure that slats are no more than 2-3/8 inches apart to prevent the infant’s head from getting caught. Cribs should not contain any lead based paint or have corner posts or cut outs, nothing that could cause potential injury to the baby. Cribs that have any of this do not meet the standards set for crib safety. This is why it is recommended that antique cribs not be used. Crib safety guidelines also state that the top rails on the sides of the crib should be 26” above the mattress at its lowest position, to ensure that the baby cannot climb out of the crib and sustain an injury by falling or by getting into something hazardous. It is also important for the mattress to fit snugly in the crib and not have a gap any wider than two adult fingers, otherwise it should be replaced. An infant can become wedged between the mattress and the crib and sustain serious injury or even be killed.

Crib safety is common sense. Don’t use plastic bags that could suffocate a child, or hang anything which the baby could become caught in. There should be no loose screws or missing parts or pieces from the crib. Teething rails should be replaced if they are worn and all moving parts should inspected as well. It is impossible to be at the baby’s side constantly. Practicing crib safety inspections on a routine basis will ensure that the baby will not be injured by the crib, which is a very simple precaution to take that could prevent a huge tragedy from occurring.

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