Babies spend a lot of time in their cribs and can be at risk for injury or death if certain crib safety requirements are not fulfilled. In addition to focusing on the actual safety of the furniture, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission advises parents to lay babies on their backs to avoid sudden infant death syndrome. Remove extra pillows, blankets and stuffed animals that can provide choking or suffocating environments. Use a fitted sheet on the bottom to avoid additional means of suffocating a baby as well.
Assembly
Cribs should not have any broken or missing slats through which the baby's head could become trapped. Infants can easily become strangled if their heads poke through an opening. There should be no more than two and three-eighths inches between each slat. You shouldn't be able to squeeze a soda can between them. Headboards and footboards on a crib must be entirely enclosed to prevent a baby's head from becoming trapped. Corner posts should be no higher than one-sixteenth of an inch to prevent catching the baby's clothing on them when transferring her in and out of the crib.
Mattress
The mattress on a crib should be firm and tight fitting. You should not be able to fit two fingers between the mattress and the frame. Check the mattress supports regularly to make sure they are secure and not in danger of falling. A crib mattress should be no more than 6 inches deep.
Materials
Researchers at "Consumer Reports" advise parents to purchase a new crib instead of using an old or antique version because of the safety features that are built into new cribs. If you do use a previously owned crib, make sure there are no splinters in the wood. Make sure the paint is intact and not peeling or chipped.
Adjustments
Most baby cribs are adjustable. You can keep the placement of the mattress on the highest level as long as he is not crawling in order to make it easier to get the baby in and out of the crib. Lower the mattress as he ages. Usually by 6 months a baby can lift himself up and may fall out if the mattress is too high.
Casters
Doctors at the Baby Place report that cribs on wheels can pose other dangers. Siblings in the home may be tempted to push the crib and cause it to tip over. You may inadvertently tip over the crib on casters when bending in to pick up the baby. Hardwood floors are particularly dangerous for placing a crib on rollers. If you choose a crib on wheels, make sure it has locking casters.
