Sleep Safety for Your Child
Ever since the ban on drop side cribs, safety standards for children’s sleep areas are being reconsidered and examined. Although drop side cribs are being phased out by retailers and daycare centers, this type of baby furniture is not the only hazard for a young child.
The Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) decided to revisit a study done by Dr. Bradley Thatch from 1995 to 2008 regarding crib bumpers. Although the CPSC dismissed the study a few years ago, the results of 27 suffocation deaths are now being reconsidered and examined closer.
Even though examining crib bumpers is in early stages, the drop side crib ban resulted in the CPSC making a list of suggestions through the “Safe Sleep” campaign that started after the Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act of 2008. No drop side cribs, as explained in the New York Times piece, is mandatory, and sleep positioners and baby monitor cords should be used with discretion. New regulations for bassinets and toddler beds are being developed currently.
Although positioners, pillows, and bumpers are questionable inside a crib, where and how a baby is placed for sleeping are additional safety considerations. An article from The Times Herald from Norristown, Penn., recommends that a new baby not share the same bed with parents and that a baby not be put to sleep on a soft surface such as a pillow or waterbed. When a small child is with one or more parents in a bed, an adult-sized person can roll over and smother the baby or small child. Even though cribs are the most common sleeping place for babies, the “family bed” or sleep-sharing theory recommends babies sleep with parents, and families too poor to afford a crib may place the child in the same bed with adults. Although sleep-sharing theories claim this is not physically or emotionally harmful for a child, a small child or baby is put at risk when an adult-sized person sleeps in the same bed.
The Repercussions of the Drop Side Crib Ban
Filed under: Baby Gear, Baby Safety, Baby Sleeping, Day Care, Parenting, Premier Baby Stores
These days, retailers of baby furniture are shifting their stocks from drop side designs to other models. Reacting to the ban on drop side cribs by the CPSC, retailers ranging from the small baby boutique to chain stores are removing drop side cribs from shelves. The effects of this ban, however, spread beyond retailers, and everyone from daycares and hotels to parents and consignment stores needs to make significant changes.
Childcare centers appear to be hit hardest by the ban, according to a story in Bloomberg Businessweek. Daycares and similar facilities have a year to remove all drop side models and replace them with something safer. Although the costs are only an approximation now, 59,555 daycare centers may need to spend $550 million over the next 12 months to replace older drop side models. About 43,000 hotels and inns also need to remove drop side cribs and replace them with safer models and have six months to do so.
Consignment and thrift stores, although seeing increases in general sales, have had their baby product supplies diminished because of the ban. Even with these restrictions in place, drop side and other unsafe designs can lurk in a secondhand store, and parents must inspect a crib for hazards before purchasing.
Drop side cribs were falling out of favor even before the ban, as convertible designs have more appeal, but parents still need to check their child’s sleeping area for any suffocation or fall hazards. Although drop side cribs are quickly on the way out, the ban may have spurred another similar restriction: crib bumpers. As a similar suffocation hazard, crib bumpers have resulted in 14 deaths since 2008, and Illinois wants to remove them. While bumpers have not been banned yet, parents should still look for alternative approaches to cushioning their child inside a crib.
Graco Strollers Recalled; More Drop-Side Cribs Pulled From Shelves
This past week, various baby products from major manufacturers were taken out of stores. The most significant is Graco strollers: Two million strollers were recalled after four infant deaths that occurred between 2003 and 2005. According to records from the CPSC, children became trapped inside the strollers and were strangled in models manufactured before 2008. If a child was not strapped in correctly with these older designs, he or she could slide between the tray and bottom of the seat, get stuck, and could then be cut, experience breathing problems, or get strangled. Graco’s Quattro Tour and MetroLite stroller and travel system models from 2007 and back are being recalled; all Graco products manufactured from 2008 to the present are safe to use.
More drop-side cribs were also recalled recently. Designs by Ethan Allen, Angel Line, and Victory Land were taken off shelves, as they caused children to get stuck, although no deaths occurred. By the end of the year, however, such products would inevitably be removed from stores, anyway, as a ban on drop side cribs had been issued by the government late in spring.
As we’ve gone over before, the best procedure when a product is recalled is to stop use of it immediately. For strollers, this may mean waiting for a repair kit to fix the issue – although, it appears, none are available for these Graco models – or purchasing another model. In the case of Graco, purchasing another model is recommended.
Drop-side cribs are another issue. As the product will be taken off shelves by the end of 2010, no one should continue using this design after that point: stores will no longer carry the product and the product is banned from use or sale in other locations, such as secondhand stores, hotels, and daycare centers.
Baby Furniture That Lasts
It’s a fact that babies and young children grow quickly. Clothing may only last a few washes before new onesies and t-shirts are needed. The same nearly applies to furniture. A baby may soon outgrow his or her crib and will need a toddler bed. At this point, if you’ve already purchased a crib, you’ll need to purchase a toddler or adult-size bed. However, if you’ve already made an investment in a crib, buying another bed can be another investment. Because parents want high-quality furniture for their children but want it to last, one of the latest trends in baby furniture has been convertible cribs that fold out and transition into a toddler bed.
A brief recent article discusses this type of convertible baby furniture, mainly for its versatility. The product highlighted in the article, a Smart Kid crib, starts out as a standard wooden crib with drawers that can be used for storing baby clothing but, once the child starts to grow, the crib becomes a toddler bed with a desk. The drawers still remain intact and, even if not used for clothing, can store many other items a child uses.
This drawer-crib-toddler bed combination is only one possibility for convertible baby furniture. Another popular combination carried by many retailers of baby furniture is a dresser and bed set. A full chest of drawers for clothing or other items will be attached to a crib that transitions into a toddler bed. Another item attached to this combination may be a changing table on top of the dresser. Similarly, dresser and changing table combination baby furniture is another common product, as the large dresser can be used for many years after the top is no longer used as a changing table. No matter the pieces of furniture combined, convertible or combination baby furniture often has a longer lifespan.
Largest Crib Recall in US History: What You Should Do If You Own a Drop Side Crib
The largest crib recall in US history has been broadcast across many news channels and websites, with more than two million cribs being recalled from manufacturer Stork Craft. The crib recall is based on various — and often deadly – injuries resulting from the drop side aspect of these cribs. A drop side has been added to many cribs for a parent to have easy access to a child but, when not installed properly by the manufacturer, these sides can come loose and, by falling on a baby, cause strangulation or suffocation. According to the article linked above, five million of these cribs have been recalled over the past two years.
Although Stork Craft promises to fix this issue by sending owners free repair kits to fix or strengthen the hardware on these cribs, Consumer Reports questions owning a drop side crib at all. Stork Craft isn’t the only manufacturer of these cribs, and, according to Consumer Reports, all drop side cribs can create the same type of injury hazard. Their suggestion? Don’t buy a drop side crib. Instead, opt for a fixed rail design, as this type doesn’t have any large parts that could come loose and trap a baby.
If you own a drop side crib, two options exist at this point: Waiting for a repair kit from Stork Craft or purchasing a fixed rail model. Although cribs themselves can be expensive, purchasing a solid design reduces all of risks associated with a drop rail, such as large parts that can come loose and hardware that may have been designed poorly. As a baby may use a crib for almost two years, having a safe environment for sleeping is important. As, according to Consumer Reports, all types of cribs do not go through significant durability testing, having a design free of loose parts allows for a sturdy and stable environment for the baby.
Suggestions for Putting a Baby to Sleep
One comment that many new parents have is that, as soon as the new baby is born, they can only sleep for a few hours at night. This, however, is never going to change. According to a Health Tip article in USA Today, babies really only can sleep for about five hours at a time, as a baby should be feeding every five hours. This, of course, doesn’t mean a baby will be sleeping for five hours at a time and parents may be waking up to their child’s cries every three hours while they’re trying to sleep. Although babies do sleep for 70 percent of their first year, this isn’t for 70 percent at a time during a day, and, instead, from three to five hour intervals during the day when a parent is awake.
The link above has additional suggestions for helping a baby sleep. As SIDS, or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, is a concern, the crib needs to be free from choking and suffocation hazards. These could be things like stuffed animals, other toys, or, really, anything a baby could grab and put inside his or her mouth. The baby should also be on his or her back, instead of the stomach, to reduce SIDS.
A baby could move in his or her sleep, but not always, and one risk, especially for children under six months, is to form a flat spot on their heads from sleeping in one position too often. The solution for this is to position the baby differently each night, or at least turning his or her head on a different side, or using a pillow to keep a baby’s head from moving. Like stuffed animals, certain form pillows might be suffocation or choking hazards, so before choosing one, research how safe the product is first.
Baby Blankets
How many uses can you think of for a baby blanket? A baby blanket is somewhat ubiquitous during the first year, if not longer. A baby, especially after the first six months, is going to be more sensitive to temperatures and, as with extra clothing, a blanket helps keep a baby warm whenever you go out or when you’re inside. A blanket can help act as additional insulation in a stroller or in a car seat, especially for long car rides where the temperature might fluctuate. And, of course, the baby will need a blanket when sleeping. As a baby blanket is used often, it’s important to have a few on hand, especially if a baby spits up during a trip away from home.
If you’re a new parent having a baby shower, some guests are probably going to show up with sets of baby blankets. The blankets even may come with matching burp cloths. However, the blankets themselves come in a variety of materials, ranging from chenille for various high-end designs to cotton for more affordable options. Organic cotton is another option, as even baby clothing and sheets are made with 100-percent organic cotton and natural dyes.
What should you do for picking out baby blankets? Often, blankets match the rest of the sheets, which are usually sold in a matching set with a crib bumper. If you’re a guest at a baby shower, picking out a baby blanket or a set of blankets is best in solid colors. If you don’t know the baby’s sex, unisex colors like yellow and green are available. Some parents can be particular with the décor in all rooms, including the baby’s nursery, and having a blanket that matches is important.
Choosing a Mobile
A mobile is a staple for ever baby’s room during the first year. But how do you go about choosing a mobile? The obvious – but not accurate – assumption would be to choose something to go with the décor of the room, which is often focused around pink shades for girls and blue tones for boys. A mobile can have one of two purposes – stimulation or to quiet a baby. Most mobiles generally don’t do both, and, with giving a child a leg up in learning, stimulation mobiles are typically the way to go.
In terms of a pastel pink or blue décor, a stimulation mobile may appear gaudy and out of place. Not to worry, though, as a mobile isn’t supposed to be used past the first year. A stimulation mobile serves as visual and aural stimulation for, usually, the time from three to six months, or whenever the baby learns to sit up and touch or grab things. Typically, a stimulation mobile is designed in black, white, and red, as, with an infant’s developing vision, the bolder colors are better. Aside from the sharply contrasting colors, these mobiles may involve patterns incorporating these three colors. In addition, a stimulation mobile is, essentially, an educational toy to help a baby start developing sight and hearing and the objects hanging from the mobile can be changed for variety for the baby and additional stimulation. While a typical mobile has small stuffed animals hanging from it, a mobile with interchangeable shapes uses sets of cards with black and white figures, patterns, or pictures of babies.
The second type of baby mobile is a calming mobile for quieting a baby. If you’re worried about the mobile matching the rest of your décor, this mobile type is often in softer colors with stuffed animals hanging. In addition, both this and the stimulation mobile may play music in combination with the stuffed animals or pictures.
Picking a Crib Mattress
Filed under: Baby Gear, Baby Health, Baby Safety, Baby Sleeping, Miscellaneous, Premier Baby Stores
Picking out a crib mattress is only one part of designing a baby’s room, but it is one of the most important parts. Did you know that a baby sleeps 70 percent of its time during the first year? When a baby is sleeping, be it in a crib or a bassinet, he or she is close to the crib mattress. As some baby products have been found to contain harmful chemicals in recent years, including baby bottles, crib mattresses were put into that group, as well, because of the chemicals contained in the foam core and in the cotton surrounding the foam. When a baby sleeps close to something treated with formaldehyde or made with PVC, he or she will be breathing in those fumes.
One option created over the past few years has been organic baby mattresses, which try to be as chemical free as possible to create a safe environment for the baby, regardless of where he or she is sleeping. These mattresses come in cotton and rubber varieties and are made in sizes for cribs, bassinets, and cradles. Two prominent makers of organic baby mattresses include EcoBaby and Naturepedic.
Neither of these mattresses are made with polyurethane foam and don’t have a PVC shell or coating. Instead, an organic cotton mattress consists of cotton fill and a cotton shell, with a mattress pad in case of leaks. The cotton components, even down to the threads used, are made of 100% organic cotton and don’t contain any chemical dyes. Organic rubber baby mattresses, similarly, use an organic cotton shell and the interior is composed entirely of natural rubber, which, in addition to antibacterial and anti-fungal properties, is absorbent.
To accompany an organic mattress, organic baby sheets can be purchased and, much like baby clothes, are available in 100% organic cotton or organic bamboo options.