CPSC baby crib safety tips
Categories: Newborns, Babies, Health & safety, Baby essentials, Kid decor & style, Shopping and recalls
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that between 2002 and 2004, 97 children died in crib-related incidents. Many of those deaths were attributed to suffocation when babies ended up face down in a crib with pillows, quilts and other bedding.
Thirty-percent of these crib deaths were blamed on older cribs in bad condition with broken or missing parts or loose hardware as well as entrapment due to ill-fitting mattresses. The rest of the reported crib-related deaths were due to accessories in and around the crib (such as cords and curtain tie-backs), cribs that had been altered, or the infant becoming entrapped between the crib and another piece of furniture or a wall.
The sad fact is that many crib-related deaths are totally preventable and the CPSC urges parents to:
Thirty-percent of these crib deaths were blamed on older cribs in bad condition with broken or missing parts or loose hardware as well as entrapment due to ill-fitting mattresses. The rest of the reported crib-related deaths were due to accessories in and around the crib (such as cords and curtain tie-backs), cribs that had been altered, or the infant becoming entrapped between the crib and another piece of furniture or a wall.
The sad fact is that many crib-related deaths are totally preventable and the CPSC urges parents to:
- Reduce the risk of SIDS and suffocation by placing baby on his or her back when sleeping in a crib that meets current safety standards.
- Never use a pillow as a mattress for baby to sleep on or to prop up his or her neck.
- Never use old, broken or modified cribs and regularly check and tighten crib hardware.
- Never allow a gap larger than two fingers at any point between the sides of the crib and the mattress.
- Never place a crib near a window with blind or curtain cords.
- Properly set up play yards and use only the mattress provided. Don't add extra mattresses, pillows or cushions to the play yard.
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