Baby Crib Safety Guide

As parents one of our first considerations when purchasing a baby crib is safety. There are many other things to consider before you purchase a crib for your baby for instance, are you going to sleep your newborn baby in a crib or a Moses basket? if you choose not to sleep your newborn in a crib from the beginning at what stage are you going to transfer him or her to their first crib? Should you buy a crib that adjusts to a toddler bed to make the transition easier?

This guide will help you to ensure that the baby crib you purchase is not only safe for your baby but practical too.

Baby Crib Safety

First of all is safety, we all worry about our babies when they sleep, we worry if they are too hot or cold, we worry that they are secure and that they are correctly positioned to sleep. There are so many things parents worry about; your baby crib should not have to be one of them.

Baby cribs nowadays must conform to the safety standards laid out by the government, but babies cribs were not always made this way and for that reason you should always purchase a new crib for a new baby, it is not worth buying a second-hand crib as you cannot be sure of the condition of the crib or if that particular crib meets the safety standards. When you are purchasing a new crib from a baby store whether local or an online store, they must meet the standards that have been put in place and will have been tested to ensure that they do.

However, even if your newly purchased crib meets the required safety standards you should still check your new crib once you bring it home. If your baby crib needs to be assembled, firstly make sure that there are no parts missing. If there is even a small item missing, you should contact the supplier to either have that part delivered to you or to return your crib, never substitute a missing part for a similar part you may already have at home.

Once you have assembled your new baby crib you should check that all parts function correctly, if you crib has adjustable sides to allow easier access to your baby, make sure that the sides are attached correctly and do not wobble or come loose, once your baby is a little older they are sure to test out the sides and your crib needs to be sturdy enough to withstand a fair amount of rocking and movement as your baby learns to pull at and shake they sides (which most babies will do)

Baby Crib Mattress Safety

The mattress you choose for your babies crib is just as important as the crib itself, it must conform to the safety standards and under no circumstances should you use a second hand product in this case. Your mattress should be an exact fit for your crib leaving no spaces around the sides. Many cribs come with the mattress supplied, if yours does not have a mattress supplied, you can easily choose the mattress you want yourself, simply use the dimensions of your crib to order an exact fit.

Other considerations for baby crib safety

When it comes to how your baby should sleep or even where your baby should sleep you will find that there are many conflicting views, should your baby be swaddled or should you use a crib divider? Should your baby be put to sleep on their back, with their feet at the bottom of the crib? Many people have very different views on this issue but if you need advice or are unsure you should ask your health visitor about what is best for you to do. Baby crib safety is one of the most important things for a new parent to be aware of and your health visitor or doctor will be more than happy to advise you.