Have you looked at your baby’s room from a safety perspective? If not, now is a good time. Your baby will be rolling around, reaching and crawling before you know it. So being prepared is the best way to keep your nursery safe.Start by looking at the room from the baby’s perspective.
Get down on your hands and knees and look around. You should easily spot the obvious hazards – outlets should have safety covers, electrical cords and dangling curtain cords should be tied up or fastened to the wall or furniture with cord sleeves or duct tape.
Other potential hazards aren’t always as easy to spot. Try to arrange your furniture to fit in front of or over heating vents that can get hot or are open for small hands to reach into? Baseboard heaters and radiators should be covered with screens to prevent baby from crawling or accidentally rolling into a hot surface. Use a cleat wrap for excess window covering cords.
Make sure your cradle, bassinet stand and crib are sturdy and stable.
That cute bassinet stand or cradle that you bought at a craft fair or yard sale may look great in the room, but make sure it doesn’t wobble, is well sanded to avoid splinters and is soundly constructed before trusting your precious little one to it. Be very cautious with antique or hand-me-down cribs. Manufacturers are building cribs much safer today than they did before, with careful attention to slat spacing, type of paint or stain used and other design characteristics, such as rounded edges and corner posts. We recommend JFMA-approved cribs and furniture for a safer sleep environment.
Follow some basic rules for crib safety.
When your baby is old enough to sit up, move the mattress to its lowest level and remove bumpers and pillows that could be used for climbing. If you attach a toy to the side of the crib, make sure it is placed on the wall side of the crib. Your crib sheet should have elastic all the way around and fits snugly around the mattress. Sheets that can pull loose present a choking hazard. Avoid pillows, quilts, and thick comforters during baby’s first year, as these can pose a suffocation risk until you child is strong enough to push themselves away and over.
Buy a changing table that is concave to discourage rolling while you are changing their diaper.
Many changing tables come with straps, although many babies resist them because they are uncomfortable. Even if your baby allows you to strap them down without too much of a fuss, you should never take your eyes off of them. The changing table requires vigilance at all times. Be sure to keep all creams and other baby care items out of reach, preferably at their feet.
Be mindful of where you hang pictures and mirrors.
The wall above the crib or changing table may be ideal from a decorating standpoint, but is not the best option for safety.
Make it a top priority to create a hazard-free nursery for your baby. Your baby will spend 70% or more of their time in this room during the first year. And, because the nursery is the only room in the house where your baby will be left unattended, it requires special attention.
For more tips, here’s a link to an e-book How to Protect Your Baby In The Nursery that we’ve found particularly helpful. But remember, no matter how safe you think you’ve made your baby’s room, there is no substitute for vigilance and supervision, especially during the first two years of their life.
