Writen by Sandy Rajsic
One of the first purchases you are going to make for your new baby is the crib that she will sleep in. There are a number of factors to consider when purchasing a crib. You must consider safety first. Following are some standard guidelines to remember when selecting a crib.
Baby cribs that are manufactured today have to meet minimum safety standards which are set by the Consumer Products Safety commission (CPSC). Since these are minimum standards, all cribs regardless of price must meet these standards. There are voluntary standards that some manufacturers meet. For instance, the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) offers additional guidelines and any product that meets these standards is clearly labeled that it is certified by the Juvenile Products Manufacturer's Association (JPMS).
If you plan to purchase a newly manufactured crib, you can rest assured that it meets minimum standards. However, with 4 million babies born every year, there are only one million new baby cribs sold. The remaining ones are purchased used or are a hand-me-down. If you must be 100% sure that the standards are met, buy a new crib. Some parents-to-be consider this the only option and with good reason. Approximately 26 infants die and another 11,500 are hospitalized every year due to baby crib related injuries, the majority of these occur with older cribs.
It is, however, possible to test a used baby crib to see if it meets minimum standards. First, go to www.recalls.gov.comto make sure that the used crib has not been recalled. Assuming that it hasn't been recalled, check to see if it meets these standards:
1)The vertical bars or slates must be no further aprat than 2 3/8" wide to ensure that the baby cannot squeeze its body in between them and get stuck. You can measure the space or simply use a can of soda (which is about 2 3/8" wide) to see how wide the openings are. If the soda can fits, it fails this standard.
2)The crib shouldn't have any cutout designs wider than 2 3/8" in the headboard or footboard for the same reason as above.
3)Corner posts should not be higher hand 1/16" high to make sure that the baby's clothing can't catch on the post and cause a strangulation hazard.
4)The mattress should be firm and tight-fitting so that the baby doesn't slide in between the crib and mattress. You can measure this by seeing if two side-by-side fingers will fit between the side of hte mattress and the baby crib wall. If so, the mattress is too small.
5)Make sure that all of the hardware (brackets, bolts and screws) are included with the crib and in good condition. Hardware failure is the most common danger of hand-me-down cribs.
5)Make sure that the slates are in good condition. They shouldn't be cracked or splintered. The dangers here are obvious.
Your baby will spend up to 18 hours a day sleeping. Please make sure that your new baby's crib is a safe environment.
This article was written by Sandy. I am a parent who is concerned with giving my children the best start in life. Since my first child didn't come with a manual, I have found other parents' advice invaluable. I would like to pass on what I have learned and hope that other parents would like to do the same. I have recently been reminded of how important my family is and that my family should always come first. Please visit my blog at The Family Comes First. Hope to see you there. Sandy |
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