Crib Safety Tips for Parents

Recently, the Delta Enterprise crib recall has made parents all too aware of the dangers that threaten their children’s lives. Unfortunately, crib manufacturing problems are usually not the cause for infant death and injury. Rather, most children are hurt due to problems that could have been prevented by their parents.

Here are the top crib safety tips to help keep your son or daughter safe:

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• Make sure that the bedding you use is not too soft. Yes, you want your baby to be comfortable. However, when you have soft mattresses, bumper pads, stuffed animals, and blankets, and your baby rolls, it can cut off air paths. Remember, babies are not strong enough to roll back to safety.
• Adjust the crib so that the mattress is low enough that you baby cannot climb or roll out of the crib. Many cribs allow you to change the mattress height, and although a higher mattress might make sense for an infant, as soon as your baby can sit up, you should lower it. Otherwise, your baby could fall out.
• Use the right mattress with the crib. Sometimes, it is tempting to purchase a discount mattress, even though it is not exactly the right size. This could be extremely dangerous. Any time there is a gap, your baby could become trapped and suffocate.
• Keep mobiles well over your baby’s head. If the strings are too long and your baby reaches them, he or she could be strangled. Use only standard crib mobiles, not homemade mobiles or mobiles made for non-crib usage.
• Check your crib routinely to make sure that there are no broken or missing pieces. When you set up your crib, follow all instructions carefully, and check to be sure that screws are tight and pieces are in place.

On top of the above-mentioned tips, you should always make sure that you purchase a crib that is on the market right now, rather than buying a crib second-hand. If you do choose to purchase a crib second-hand, make sure it complies with current crib standards. The slats should be no more than a soda can’s width apart, there should be no posts (which could cause strangulation), and the headboard and footboard should be solid, with no cut-outs or gaps.

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Furthermore, even if you do purchase a new crib, it is important to continuously stay up-to-date with recalls. As the recent Delta recall has proved, even companies with a history of great baby products can have manufacturing problems. Parents across the country have been affected by this recall, as over 1.5 million cribs were involved. In order to keep your baby as safe as possible, you should continuously make sure that your crib, as well as the other baby products you own, are not on the recall list. If you currently own a Delta Enterprise crib, make sure you get a repair kit immediately, and if your child has been injured due to a crib problem, talk to a defective crib lawyer immediately to learn about your rights. 

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