Crib Safety

Crib Safety. How to choose the right crib for your baby?

Child Safety Expert Kimberlee Mitchell reviews what is often an overwhelming choice for parents: buying the right crib. The key points are to keep it simple and safe by avoiding cribs that are too ornate, and opt for something very simple and JPMA-approved. Kimberlee also explains how to ensure your hand-me-down crib is safe, and what to keep an eye out for.

Transcript:

- Choosing a crib for your baby is sometimes an overwhelming choice for parents, so my recommendation would be to make sure that you keep it safe. Choosing a crib that is JPMA approved will ensure that your crib is up to all current ASTM standards. And the box for your crib will have a big JPMA stamp on it so you'll know that it is approved. If you are receiving a crib as a hand me down, and you don't have the box, it's very simple, all you need to do is go to the consumer product safety commission website, cpsp.org, and plug in the serial number, which is always on the bottom part of the crib, you'll find that serial number there, to make sure that that crib has not ... Read more

been involved in a nationwide recall. It's very important. The decor for cribs is amazing. And the seduction of choosing something that is just very very ornate, is definitely out there. And I have to tell you, it drew my eye as well. However, my advice would be to keep it simple. Purchase a crib that does not have high corner posts, because that creates an entrapment issue. Your child's clothing can get stuck on that. Cribs also that have cutouts, could also pose an entrapment issue as well. So keeping it simple for the crib is key. When putting your crib together, if after you're done you have screws and blots let over, you've put it together incorrectly, and it's important to start over and make sure that every single piece of hardware that was provided is used in the putting together of that crib. Because that crib will function as safely as possible, only if it's put together correctly. On the inside of the crib, it's important to make sure that you choose a safe crib sheet. That crib sheet needs to be tight-fitting. There's actually a really cool contraption that you can use to secure to both sides on the underside of the mattress to make sure that it's tight. You don't want your baby to be able to pull that crib sheet up. As far as accessorizing on the inside, no stuffed animals, no quilts, no other accessories. The only thing that's allowed in that crib is your baby with some sort of a sleep blanket. I'm not even a fan of bumpers. Bumpers can contribute to SIDS death, and it's important to keep it simple, and keep it clean on the inside of that crib.