Babies Tale

Your baby’s room will most likely contain a crib and a chest of drawers. You may choose to buy a rocking chair for nursing and feeding the baby, and you may also have a changing table, but neither of these is essential.

Cribs and Bedding

For the sake of the consumer, a lot of attention has been paid to crib safety, so that any crib manufactured after February 1974 has to conform to strict safety codes. If you are considering an older crib, perhaps one that has been in your family, you will want to compare its features with the current safety standards, which were necessitated by a large number of serious crib accidents.

Crib slats must be no more than 2 3/8 inches apart to prevent babies from getting their heads or limbs caught in between them, which could result in strangulation or injury. Never use a crib that has missing slats or spindles!

Make sure that metal hardware on the crib you buy or borrow ahs no rough or sharp edges, in case your baby falls against it. Also, check out the locks and latches on the drop-side of the crib to make sure your baby won’t be able to accidentally release them from inside the crib and fall out. Many cribs have double release mechanisms-you must use a foot release as well as release the side of the crib-which are even safer. And once released, make sure the sides of the crib move up and down easily.

You want to be sure your baby will not be able to climb out of the crib. There should be no bars or other surfaces on railings or end panels that the baby could climb on.

Another crib danger of the past was mattresses that didn’t fit snugly in cribs. Babies would get their heads caught between the mattresses and the crib frame and suffocate or strangle. Now all crib mattresses are a standard size. They must be 27 ¼ by 51 5/8 inches and not more than 6 inches thick.

When you go out to buy a crib, don’t be fooled into thinking that if you spend enough money, you’ll be assured top quality. That simply isn’t the case. While currently manufactured cribs generally meet minimum safety standards, some cribs are shoddy and some manufacturers have poor quality control. There is no substitute for your careful inspection of the floor model and a repeat inspection upon delivery.

Look for a crib that has at least one stabilizing bar beneath the springs; two are even better. Make sure the finish of the crib is smooth and evenly painted. If it’s an older crib, make sure it’s not painted with a paint containing lead. If you suspect that the paint contains lead, ask your local health department where you might have paint chips analyzed for lead content. Do not use a crib finished with lead based paint-babies gnaw on crib railings; lead poisoning can cause brain damage and even death.

The crib’s railings should be sturdy; you shouldn’t be able to flex them. Round railings are better than decorative spindles or those with protruding edges or corners. The teething rails should run the length of the railing tops and should not be cracked or have any jagged edges. Specialty stores now sell teething rails for older cribs. Corner posts should not extend more than 5/8 inch above the end panel, since these knobs can catch clothing and cause strangulation. If you already have a crib with longer corner posts, either unscrew them or saw them off and sand them smooth. The end- boards should be straight and functional and should have no decorative open spaces that the baby could climb on or get caught in. avoid decals; they may have a lot of initial appeal, but they don’t hold up well.

Crib mattresses must meet federal flame-retardant standards. They are available in three types; innerspring, hair block, and all foam. Other variables include the thickness of the outer fabric, the number of vents, and the type of edging used around the borders.

Innerspring mattresses vary on the number of coils they have, the type of cushioning on top of the springs, the presence or absence of a metal grid across the springs, or additional metal supports, and the type of covering and venting. Although they are widely advertised, they don’t hold up to the wear and tear of a bouncing toddler. Protruding metal pats is a common complaint.

Hair block mattresses are constructed of molded animal hair. Because of allergic potential they are not recommended.

Your best bet is a high-density foam mattress, which will not be bouncy and also won’t have any inner-parts that can break. Make sure the sides are well vented to allow air to flow in and out under pressure, since a poorly vented mattress will trap air inside and could pop, tearing the vinyl cover. A torn vinyl cover could prove dangerous to your inquisitive baby. A firm foam mattress will fit a crib more tightly than an innerspring mattress, foam mattresses are often thinner than innerspring mattresses, allowing for extra space between the mattress and the top railing, therefore, making the crib more difficult to climb out of.

Crib bumper pads provide extra protection for your baby at three or four months. They guard against her becoming accidentally wedged between the mattress and the crib side, or between the bars. The pads should cover all four sides of the crib and tie on to the crib sides securely in at least six places. You’ll want to remove the pads as soon as your baby begins to use them to pull herself up to stand-at this point, they can collapse and cause her head to be thrown into the bars. Also they could be used as a prop in an attempt to climb out of the crib.

Bumper pads tend to be of poor quality, and there are frequent reports of plastic snap ties tearing from pads, snaps pulling off, and vinyl seams ripping and exposing foam interiors, which can then be ingested. Tie cords may be long enough to tangle around your baby’s neck. Try to buy a firm bumper pad that is covered in washable fabric. Clip the cords after you fasten them to the crib bars, leaving only an inch or so of excess cord.

The following list is a rough guideline for bedding: three fitted crib sheets, two crib-size mattress pads, one vinyl or plastic crib mattress protector, two crib-sized, flannel covered rubber pads, two small washable quilts, and one set of bumper pads.

Pillows are often sold as baby gifts, but they should never be used. They can suffocate a baby or cause postural stress to the neck.

Portable cribs are smaller and narrower than regular cribs. Many of the regulations that cover full size cribs are similar for portable cribs, but don’t apply to mesh-sided or tubular frame portables. While some families appreciate being able to collapse their portables and take them along, there are frequent problems with portables that should be mentioned; shoddy construction often causes legs to crack or collapse, bottoms that aren’t well supported fall through, teething bars splinter, and very often these cribs just aren’t as portable as they appear.

If you are going to buy a portable crib, look for a wooden one that has no protruding wing nuts that can loosen easily. Make sure the floor supports are sturdy, and check to see if the mattress pad is well finished and firm. The bars should be straight on all sides. Avoid one with latching gates, which can be climbed on or present a pinching hazard to a baby’s fingers. Avoid models that have mesh sides or, worse yet, mesh supported floorboard, since the mesh can tear and cause your baby to fall. Once your baby is sitting up, remove the leg supports from the crib and allow it to sit directly on the floor, or retire it from use, since portable cribs are meant for newborns and very small babies.

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