Baby Crib Safety Standards

Babies literally make big baby gear purchases, and probably a crib is one of the most significant purchases you can ever make. However, safety is the biggest concern of every parent, especially when it comes to buying baby products.

You must buy a crib following the baby crib safety standards. Your baby will be clocking a lot of hours in the crib until he makes a transition from crib to bed. Cribs’ safety standards include everything from the right size and style to the right color, which can play a massive part in its safety.

Because the crib is the place where babies are primarily left unsupervised, and if you have chosen the wrong crib, this may cause immense harm to your baby. So, to keep your baby safe from hazards due to the crib, you must give special consideration to its safety.

Read this article till the end, and you will get to know much more about the baby crib safety standards and how you can opt for a completely safe and secure baby crib.

Table of Contents

The strict guidelines for the safety of babies ensure all the cribs meet baby crib safety standards and are designed accordingly. If a crib does not meet these guidelines, this may pose serious harm to your baby.

According to Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) guidelines, a secure and safe crib should have

Less space between slats, almost 60mm or 2 3/8 inches. This ensures that the child’s head does not trap in the slats.
No spaces or cutouts designs. A crib with a cutout design can injure the baby’s head, hands, arms, or legs as these can get stuck in such cutouts or spaces.
No corner posts as a baby’s clothing can attach to these posts and can injure a child.
Tight, fully closed screws, bolts, and other construction materials. You must also check for these materials every week to ensure that everything in the crib is tightly closed and nothing is loose to harm the baby in any way. Because an active child may loosen these structures, and eventually crib may collapse.
Lead-free paint. If you have an older crib that may have lead-based paint. Lead is considered poisoning for the baby crib because babies can chew the paint, harming the baby.

Don’t use an old crib and replace it with a new one meeting all the safety standards. If you see a crib has broken parts or missing anything, then don’t try to fix it yourself. Ensure that the crib you bought does not need any repairs.

Crib Hazards

Injuries related to the crib are caused by insecure, unsafe, and improperly used crib accessories. These injuries also increase when your child gets bigger. You must be aware of common crib hazards and ensure that you are following those carefully.

Firstly, only use the mattress designed for a crib. It must be of good fit like you cannot fit more than two fingers into the space between the crib and mattress. If there is any plastic covering on the mattress, make sure to remove it.
Adjust the mattress level as your child grows. Most of the accidents reported were because of falling out of the child from the crib. You must lower the mattress level as your child starts to sit with little help. Adjust it in such a way that the lowest setting of the mattress gives your baby enough space to stand without falling out of the crib.
Place cribs away from windows to prevent the severe falls of the child. Moreover, don’t place a crib near drapes or blinds as windows cords can get wrapped around your child’s neck. When your child is almost 35 inches, then at this age, your baby must make a transition from crib to bed.
Due to strangulation hazards, remove mobiles or any other activity gyms from the crib. Because your child can push it up and get their hands or knees on them, which may pose strangulation hazards.
Don’t use bumper pads or any similar products which can suffocate or trap your baby. Also, don’t use a sleep positioner because it is dangerous for the baby.
Last but not least, don’t keep any soft objects such as blankets, lovey, or any pillow in the crib because it can also cause suffocation to your baby.

New cribs are no longer designed with movable side rails due to safety hazards. If your crib has side rails that can be lowered and raised, raise them to the specific level for your baby.

Crib Mattress Safety

Now comes the crib mattress safety, which is very important to keep the crib entirely safe for use for your little one.

An old mattress can pose specific safety concerns. If a mattress is too soft or broken, then it can pose a considerable suffocation risk to your child. If it is designed according to prior federal sizing standards; then, it can not be an excellent fit to the crib frame.

Just keep in mind that improper compatibility of mattress and frame can allow baby to slip, which is a deadly type of entrapment.

How can an old crib pose a danger to the baby?

Most of the parents wonder how can an old crib pose a danger to a baby. Well! the old crib does not meet the CPSC safety standards, now considered safe and secure for babies. CPSC has regarded old cribs as one of their “Most wanted” dangerous products.

It is confirmed that old cribs pose several dangers to babies and toddlers. The corner posts of cribs can pose a risk to babies who can stand up in the crib; loose clothing can be stuck in the posts, which is undoubtedly a strangulation risk.

Moreover, slats that are too far apart or decorative holes in the headboards can trap the child’s head. Apart from this, old cribs pose several risks, due to which CPSC has given its safety guidelines for cribs.

How do I know that my crib is safe?

The last thing, which most conscious parent asks how I know my crib is safe? All the cribs designed since 2011 have been required to meet strict safety standards set by the CPSC.

So, it’s good to double-check everything before you tick all the boxes to buy the new crib. Here is what to look for to ensure the safety of the crib.

The crib must be of the right size
The corner posts must be smooth
Paint color should be non-toxic
The hardware of cribs must be firmly secured.
The mattress fits appropriately inside the crib
Avoid buying soft toys or bedding
Don’t buy headboards or foot boards cutouts and drop-sides.

Conclusion

Picking out the right crib may take a bit longer time, but you must give it proper attention; after all, it’s a matter of your little one’s safety.

Opt for the new model, which is the most recent and follows all the CPSC safety standards. Getting the right and safe crib won’t only help your baby but also help you to sleep well.

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