If you baby is on the way, getting a crib may be high up on your priority list. With so many different types of baby cribs and features, it can be really hard and daunting task to pick up the safest and best baby crib for your new family member. Here we will see some of the safety features of baby cribs which you can keep in mind while selecting a baby crib.
Since safety of the baby is of prime importance, Juvenile Products Manufacture’s Association (JPMS) provides certification for the cribs. Every crib that is being made must meet the safety standards which is set by Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC), which means even least expensive ones must meet the standards. Look at certification sticker or information when you buy a baby crib, this is very essential for the safety of your baby.
Majority of the Americans buy used baby cribs from garage sale or given to them by their relatives, this is shown by the data, 4 million infants born in the U.S. every year, only about 1 million new baby cribs are sold annually.Note that used baby cribs may be dangerous to your baby as 26 infants die and another 11,500 are hospitalized every year due to baby crib related injuries, the majority of these tragedies do occur with older and used baby cribs. If you want to be confident about the safety of your baby then make sure that you get a new baby crib to ensure safety. If you have got a used one, it is possible to test a used baby crib to see it if meets the current minimum safety standards. First, check to see if the baby crib has been recalled (www.recalls.gov). If you have not seen any recall, then ensure your the crib is sturdy enough for the safety of your baby.
Some minimum baby crib safety standard you have to take care are : -
1, Vertical/Slates Bars – Note that the vertical bars must be not be more than 2 3/8 inches apart wide, it can be unsafe for your baby to get stuck if it is more than 2 3/8 inches wide. You can easily measure this space using a tape or the best approximate measure is tring to fit a soda can through the baby bars since soda cans meaure 2 3/8 inches in diameter. If the soda can gets stuck then the crib is deemed unsafe and should be destroyed.
2, Similarly, the baby crib should not have design cutouts wider than 2 3/8 on headboard and footboard which may enable the baby to lodge in that cut out area, it is advisable to avoid baby cribs with cut out areas all together which may add to potential hazard to baby.
3, The corners of the crib must not be higher than 1/16 inches which adds to strangulation hazard on baby. A baby’s clothing can catch on a corner post that is higher than 1/16 inches. Posts with 16 inches or higher are nothing to be afraid of.
4, Baby cribs should be firm and tight fitting – Any standard size crib should accept a standard size baby crib mattress, if you fit two side by side fingers between the sides of mattress, then the baby crib mattress is small and can pose a safety hazard.
5, If you are using old baby crib, you have to make sure that all the hardware i.e. brackets, bolt and screws are present and the crib is sturdy enought and in good condition. A missing screw can pose safety danger and hardware failure is one of the main causes of hardware breakdown.
6, When planning to paint or refinish the baby crib, it is always advisable to use high quality lead-free enamel paint, making sure there are no residual fumes, make sure the paint is edible as babies can numb on the crib. They are found of special stores.
7, Lastly but not the least any baby crib you find is unsafe please destroy it as you would not want somebody in the family to use the unsafe crib.
Please check here some of the best baby furniture cribs in the market.
Sorelle Tuscany Baby crib cherry
DaVinci Kalani Baby Furniture Crib
DaVinci Emily Convertible Crib
