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Baby
Crib Advice and Tips |
by:
Martin
Smith |
Congratulations!
You have just learned that you are having
a baby. Whether this is your first or not
you need to look at cribs. Do you have one
already? Is it an antique? A second hand
crib whether antique or not needs to be
carefully looked at. This is for the safety
of your new baby.
The screws, bolts, and/or other fasteners
should all be in place. Are they loose?
Will the position of the mattress hold under
your baby's weight? It is imperative that
this be tested before you put your baby
in the crib. Take something that approximates
the weight of your baby at about 4 months
old. Bounce it off the mattress to be certain
it will hold its position. If it doesn't
it could cause serious injury to your baby
or worse.
When setting up the nursery (if it isn't
already up) consider very carefully where
you will place the crib. If you place the
crib near a window and you have Venetian
blinds, either shorten the cords or anchor
them somewhere that your baby can't reach
and get a hold of them. If it all possible
avoid placing the crib near the window.
As your baby grows into a toddler and s/he
attempts to climb out of the crib; s/he
could possibly fall which could cause serious
injury to your baby.
Blankets and your baby are not necessarily
a good mix. With the incidents of SIDS today,
you want to be sure to do everything that
could possibly put your infant at risk.
It is more advisable to put your baby to
bed in a sleeper. If you absolutely have
to have a blanket on the baby, tuck it tightly
around and under the foot of the mattress
with your baby's feet touching the footboard.
Also you don't want to put the blanket any
higher on the baby than up to his chest
as that will help prevent him from slipping
under the blankets and suffocating.
Bumper pads are a great concept but unless
they are secured properly, there is a risk
of your baby slipping between the mattress
and the bumpers and possibly suffocating.
If you use them they should be anchored
in at least eight places one at each corner
of the crib and at least two spaced evenly
on each of the sides. There should be a
total of 16 ties in all, for the top and
bottom.
Mobiles are a nice addition and look adorable
but... the caution here is that if you use
a mobile as soon as your baby starts to
sit up on his own the mobile should be taken
down to prevent your baby from getting tangled
in it. Also make sure that it has no small
removable parts that your baby could choke
on.
If your crib is second hand no matter whether
you had for a previous child or you got
it from someone else check out the mattress
carefully. Make sure there are no cracks
or holes in the mattress covering. Make
sure too that the mattress properly fits
in the crib. Here again, your child could
slip between the mattress and the sidebars
or the end boards and suffocate. The mattress
should fit snugly in the crib. Now the sheets
you use in your baby's crib should also
fit properly and not slip and slide. Sheet
anchors are available that hook on the sheet
under the mattress and keep it in place.
The position of the mattress is imperative
for your child's safety. Most parents put
the mattress at the highest position when
the baby first comes home because it is
so much easier to change him in that position.
As your baby becomes more active you will
want to lower the mattress accordingly.
Once your baby is able to pull up to a standing
position put the mattress in the lowest
possible position and to be sure your baby
is safe, measure the distance between the
top of the side bar and the mattress. In
the lowest position the distance of the
top of the side bar should be no more than
26 inches above the mattress. If your child's
head is over the side bar or they climb
out of the crib, it maybe time to move your
child to a regular bed. Some cribs are convertible
into beds tat will grow with your child.
The crib itself should be looked over for
things that might put your baby at risk.
Have you seen those cribs that have ornate
designs carved into the end boards? They
are beautiful but they pose a danger to
your child. Your child could get his head
or arm and leg caught and sustain an injury.
The simpler the design of the crib the safer
your child may be.
Since approximately 1974 federal safety
guidelines for cribs state that the slats
should be no more than 2 3/8 inches apart.
This is to prevent your baby from getting
his head stuck between the slats. This could
cause injury to your baby but it would necessitate
the removal of some of the slats and that
alone would compromise your baby's safety.
About the Author
Martin Smith is a successful freelance
writer providing advice for consumers
on purchasing a variety of
Baby
strollers
and more! His numerous articles provide
a wonderfully researched resource of interesting
and relevant information. |
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