When you find out you are expecting, you think of all the things you need to buy. You think of ways to decorate the nursery. You should also think about keeping your baby safe not only in the nursery but in their crib. Crib safety is important with your newest addition. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) SIDS is the leading cause of call deaths for children under the age one and each year about 4,000 babies die for no clear reason.
How can you put your baby safely to sleep? How do you know if you are putting your child are risk? Here’s 5 tips of safe sleep practices for your baby.
1. The one and only thing that should be in your baby’s crib is baby. Your baby should be placed in a crib that has no pillows, no blankets or stuffed toys. What should be in the crib with baby? Nada, Zilch, Nil
2. No bumper. The American Academy of Pediatrics and SIDS prevention groups caution against using crib bumpers. Yes, we know that the many crib bedding sets still come with the bumpers. But there’s no evidence that these products prevent injuries. And reports show that they can lead to suffocation, strangulation, or entrapment. Some bumpers also reduce the flow of fresh air in your baby’s crib, which is considered a contributing factor in SIDS.
3. Slats and sleep sacks. If you are worried about your baby getting stuck because you cannot use a bumper crib, check to see the slats on the crib. Slats in the crib sides should be 2 3/8 inches apart. This is about the side of a soda can. If a can can’t slip through the slats your baby body cannot fit through as well. Still worried? Have your baby sleep in a sleep sack. The sleep sack was designed to reduce SIDS. The sleep sack was designed by Bill Schmid the founder of HALO. You can read more about his story on Facebook.
4. Mattress Matters. Your baby can spend up to fifteen or more hours a day sleeping. Most of the time they will be on a mattress in their crib. Here are 3 questions to ask yourself when buying a crib mattress—
1. Is it the right size? The mattress needs to fit snugly in the crib.
2. Is it firm? Firmness can help prevent SIDS.
3. Is it certified? Crib mattresses must meet safety standards defined by the CPSC and the American Society for Testing and Materials.
5. Stationary cribs only. On June 28, 2011, new federal safety standards prohibit the manufacture or sale of drop-side rail cribs. It is illegal to sale a crib with drop rails. Most new cribs on the market today comply with both mandatory and voluntary safety standards, but if you are receiving a crib secondhand make sure it is a crib with stationary sides.
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