Nursery and baby crib safety will be something you want to take care of early on during your pregnancy, you will then have time to not only think about what and how but find the best solutions for your nursery.
Having safe baby equipment and a well-organized baby room are the two main things to be prepared for when creating your nursery. If set up well all nursery accidents can be avoided.
Here are a few things to consider when buying a crib, new or secondhand. When buying a new crib these will most likely be deemed safe although you should keep in mind there may be the odd one the slips through and be on recall.
If you intend on buying a second hand crib or have a hand-me-down or heirloom crib then check out this safety checklist first for tips on baby crib safety:
Now for some guidelines when your baby/babies are sleeping and how to place your crib/s in the nursery.
Crib bumpers can be hazardous as well as toys, after all bed time is for sleeping not playing. A crib mobile with soothing music is fine until they are able to stand up in there crib. When this happens or even before you think this could happen remove the mobile immediately.
Even blankets and pillows can be dangerous, if you dress you baby to suit the weather then a blanket is not necessary.
So many parents of twins will co-sleep their twin babies, I even did this from time to time as it helped settle them down. In saying that the American Academy of Pediatrics say it is not recommended to do this as it can increase the chances of SIDS. If your nursery is lacking in space, check out some of our other post for some some great ideas for cribs for twins.
A movement and sound monitor can actually be life saving for your little ones, especially if they were born prematurely or had time in the NICU because of health issues. My sister-in-law used one for my niece and she said it really gave her peace of mind.
So how it works is you place the sensory pad under the mattress and the monitor detects movement from your infant including breathing.
If the monitor detects zero movement an alarm will go off after about 20 seconds. It is important to know that a babies breathing can be a little bit erratic, it is normal for a baby to not breathe for 10 – 15 seconds at times. I also know some parents will continue to use this device in the crib at the age of 2 so if they have climbed out they will know and can help with risk of getting tangled and stuck.
OK so the crib is most defiantly one of the biggest concerns when it comes to safety after all babies spend most of their time in there, well for the first few months anyway. Here are some other great ways in keeping your little ones safe in the Nursery:
Change Table Safety
Pacifiers
A pacifier can actually help in the prevention of SIDS, here are some safety tips concerning them:
Nursery Temperature
Experts recommend a baby room’s temperature is perfect at about 65°F (18°C). Babies don’t need really hot rooms and you can use a thermometer if you wish. In saying that running either heating or cooling all night is not practical and can actually dry the air out too much which can affect your infant with dry skin or even coughing.