Baby Bedding Sets - A Suffocation Hazard For Your Child?

When you first bring home your baby, items like comforters, quilts and pillows aren’t necessary.

These sets often come with a bumper too and you might have heard or read conflicting information on them. In the end it comes down to the choice that you make.

Thinner bumpers are safer than the big fluffy ones that can be a suffocation hazard for your baby. It’s best to remove the bumpers once your baby can stand and climb.

The essential items for the first year of your baby’s life are sheets, a mattress, and maybe a crib skirt for a better look. You want to avoid fluffy or heavy items in the crib that could suffocate your baby.

If you want to make sure your baby is comfortably warm, consider getting an organic blanket for swaddling or an organic cotton sleep sac that also wraps up snugly around your baby and doesn’t present a suffocation hazard.

What will you do with that comforter or quilt that came with the bedding set? As many parents have found, they make a wonderful decorative piece in your nursery.

They can complement your nursery’s theme and can be hung on the wall or a quilt rack. You might also hang them over the crib’s rail when your baby isn’t inside the crib.

Purchasing a complete baby bedding set in the beginning may also save you money in the long run, as the set can be used for your child throughout the toddler years as well.

If you’d rather keep it simple in the beginning with just the sheets and such, purchasing a bedding set later will allow you to give the nursery a fresh new look.

Guide-Lines To Follow When Buying A Baby Furniture Crib!

If in the excitement of new parenthood you need to buy a baby furniture crib, you will need to ask yourself; how safe will the crib be, how long-lasting will it be, and is it affordable?

When it comes to safety, realize that there are many new safety standards on the horizon. This can be a bit confusing, but in the end it results in greater safety for babies and peace of mind for parents.

Standard cribs usually feature an adjustable mattress height modification mechanism and one or two drop sides. The drop sides makes it easier for a grown adult to lift the baby out of the crib, and the mattress adjustment is necessary because as the child grows and can stand on the mattress there is a danger that the child may try to climb over the top of the crib which would lead to injury.

Convertible baby furniture cribs allow the crib to be changed into a toddler bed, and possibly into a full-sized bed. Psychologically, the conversion helps a child to adjust into sleeping into a bigger bed.Portable cribs are another alternative, however a parent needs to be told that portable cribs do not have to meet the stringent safety demands that other cribs need to adhere to.

When looking at cribs to buy, parents should do their homework on recalls that may have been issued by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Cribs are sometimes recalled because of violations in slat width (they cannot be more than 2 3/8 inches apart) or in the mattress support system. For example, a strap system is not allowed, as it is more likely to fail than a metal spring system.

In some cases, the mattress may not fit tightly, leaving a space between the mattress and the crib sides where the baby could become trapped. Loose or missing parts are also very dangerous. Failure of the drop side mechanism is the most common cause for a product recall. This is why you should avoid a used crib unless the manufacturer’s product code and name are listed, or you have access to the product information manual. You will need this information to find out whether or not that particular model has been recalled.

You may want to consider alternative crib designs, like a fold out crib instead of the more dangerous drop side cribs that may trap the baby’s head. In the future, there may be laws banning drop side cribs altogether. Parents should watch the news closely in order to avoid the hassle and expense of purchasing a recalled baby furniture crib. The CPSC is also considering a rule that provides that cribs should be lower to the floor so that children are less likely to suffer serious injury due to a fall. Again, make sure to stay current on crib safety regulations and always check for recalls.

Again, always check any crib against the Consumer Product Safety Commission.Your best bet though is to purchase from a baby furniture crib dealer who is genuinely concerned about safety and are aware of the different features that are coming out regarding cribs. Read their advertisements carefully, safety consciousness is easy to spot.