Crib Safety Tips for Nursery
Please share these great crib safety resources and tips for a happy, healthy, and safe nursery.
Safe Sleep Practices
- The safest place for your baby to sleep is in a crib
- Babies should always be put to sleep on their back
- Use a play yard, and never a soft surface, if a crib is unavailable
- Avoid bed sharing with your baby at all costs
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Crib Safety
- Mobiles should be removed once your baby can push up on hands and knees
- Remove all soft objects like pillows, blankets, bumpers and toys
- If you can fit a soda can between the slats, a childs head could get stuck. Only use JPMA certified cribs to avoid this problem
- Never hang items off of the corners or sides of the crib
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Furniture & Décor Tips
- All items with cords, such as monitors, should be far out of reach
- Only use a firm mattress that fits tightly into the crib
- Place your crib at least 3 feet away from windows, lamps and other furniture
- Don't hang pictures or other items above or in reach of the crib or changing table
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Safety Warnings
- Follow all instructions! Extra parts at the end indicate incorrect assembly
- Due to constantly changing safety standards, it is unsafe to purchase a used crib
- Only use a JPMA certified crib to be sure it meets up-to-date safety standards
- If you find broken or missing parts, be sure to call the manufacturer
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FAQ
Crib safety standards evolve as we learn more about the true risks of even popular and long-standing products. In 2011, the federal government banned drop-rail cribs after they were linked to infant suffocation deaths. Experts are now advising that parents avoid crib rail bumpers and crib tents for similar reasons. Parents can have peace of mind if they choose a new crib, use a tight-fitting, firm mattress, and put the baby to sleep on its back on a bare mattress.
Crib slats need to be close together in order to prevent a baby’s head or torso from slipping through the gap. New cribs are manufactured to a strict standard of no more than 2 and 3/8 inches between slats. If a soda can passes easily through the slats, the crib is not safe. If you are questioning the width of a crib you are considering buying, there’s no harm in checking with a ruler in the store.
Drop side cribs have been banned in the US since 2010, after they were linked to several infant deaths since 2001. Many parents enjoyed the convenience of this once popular design, but they put babies at risk of getting trapped and suffocating. Using any second hand crib comes with risks, but parents should never use a drop-rail model.
Crib Safety is Essential For a Safe Home
As a parent, your number 1 job is to keep your child safe. It's natural to be concerned over your child's well-being, at all hours of the day and night—but the last thing any new parent needs is to lose sleep worrying about the safety of their child's crib, mattress, or bassinet. When your child is sleeping, you should too! When it comes to your child's safety in the nursery and at the home, you can count on Delta Children.