Baby Window Safety
Baby Crib Safety — Frequently Asked Questions
Author: MY FIRST ROOM
The crib is where your baby will spend a lot of their time and you want to be sure they are safe.
Below are some of the questions (with the answers) that are asked about crib safety.
Topics such as mattress position, how to place your baby in the crib, and general safety standards are discussed, as are other issues.
If you need further information you can search the Internet and visit baby furniture stores.
Q. Are there safety standards for baby cribs?
Yes there are some very exact standards for your baby’s crib.
In 1974 it was made law that cribs should no longer be painted with lead based paint.
It was discovered that the ingestion of lead (from any source) could cause learning disabilities and other difficulties in young children.
The slats of the crib must be no more than 2 3/8 inches apart, this is to prevent your baby from getting his body or head stuck between the bars causing injury or strangulation.
The side bar should be 26 inches above the mattress when it is in its lowest position.
If your child is more than an inch taller than the sidebar it is time to move him into a regular bed.
Q. Are there some hazards in my baby’s crib that I need to be aware of?
Your mattress must fit snugly in the crib; an ill-fitting mattress could cause your baby to slip between the mattress and the side bar causing suffocation.
The mattress height should be able to be adjusted into at least three different levels.
When your baby becomes more mobile you will want to put the mattress in the lowest position to prevent your baby from climbing or falling out.
The slats should be tight, loose slats could pinch little fingers.
Do not put the crib near a window to prevent your baby from possibly falling out or becoming tangled in Venetian blind cords.
Q. What are some historical facts about the crib?
Here is a short chronological time line of crib facts:
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1973 – The standard for crib slats was to be no more than 2 3/8th inches apart to prevent your baby from slipping through or getting their head stuck.
Also, double latches for drop-down sidebars were to become the norm.
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1976 – The standard for cutouts in the crib end panels are presented.
The end panels must not have any decorative cutout designs.
Children were getting their limbs or heads caught causing serious injury or death.
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1978 – Cribs must now be painted with non-toxic finish.
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1981 – Two models of cribs with cutouts are recalled.
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1988 – A voluntary standard addresses mattress support hardware, failure of glued or bolted connections, drop-side latch failure and loosened teething rails.
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1990 – No corner posts or projections can be more than 1/16th of an inch above the drop-side.
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1998 – California and Washington mandate that hotel cribs must meet the same standards set for full-size cribs
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1998 – Portable cribs must now meet the same standards as full-sized cribs.
Q. How can I tell when my baby is ready for a regular bed?
When your child stands more than a couple of inches taller than the sidebar with the mattress in the lowest position.
If your child is climbing out of the crib, for his safety put him in a regular bed.
Q. How should I put my baby to sleep in his crib?
Place your baby on his back or on his side for sleeping.
Use one piece sleepers rather than blankets.
Your baby could slip under the blanket and possibly suffocate.
Remove all pillows and toys as well, in order to prevent suffocation.
Q. Is it safe to cover my baby with a blanket?
A blanket sleeper will keep your baby sufficiently warm while sleeping.
If you absolutely need to use a blanket, tuck it in around the bottom of the mattress.
Place your baby with his feet toward the end-panel and the blanket should go no higher than his/her chest.
Q. Is a mesh sided crib safe to use for my baby?
Yes, a mesh crib is safe provided the mesh is less than 1/4 inch in size, smaller than a tiny button on baby’s clothes.
The should be rips, tears, or loose threads.
If staples are used to attach the mesh they must not be exposed and the mesh must be securely attached to the top rail and the floor plate.
Q. Can I safely use bumper pads in my baby’s crib?
While bumper pads are not necessary, they can safely be used.
They must be very close the edge of the mattress and properly secured.
The bumpers must be flat and not puffy, as your baby could get stuck between the bumper and the mattress and suffocate.
Q. What can I do to keep my baby’s crib safe?
In order to keep your baby’s a safe place, you should make sure to all connections are secure and that there are no broken or missing parts.
Regularly, check the teething rail for splits or cracks.
Make sure the mattress spring support and your crib will withstand your baby’s increasing mobility.
The mattress itself should have no splits, tears, or holes.
Q. How can I tell when it’s time to lower the mattress?
When your baby becomes more active, when s/he begins to pull himself to a standing position or when he sits up alone it will be time to lower the mattress to prevent your little one from either climbing out or falling out.
Q. Can I hang a mobile over my baby’s crib?
Mobiles and crib gyms can be used to entertain your baby but when your child is able to get on to their hands and knees or pull themselves up.
This will prevent your baby from becoming entangled in them.
In Conclusion
Making sure your baby’s crib is safe, is an ongoing to task.
Proper positioning of the mattress, making sure all connections are secure and that there are no loose slats that could pinch little fingers will help to keep your baby’s crib a safe place for him to be.
Be sure to place him in the crib on his back or side and dress him in a sleeper rather than using a blanket.
Keeping these tips in mind will help keep your baby safe and give you some peace of mind.
Frequently Asked Questions
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QUESTION:
How do you teach a baby cat some basic safety?
How do you teach a 3-mth-old baby cat not to jump out the windows asnd the balcony?-
ANSWER:
You don’t. This is not a person, it’s an animal. Put a screen on the window. You should have one anyway to keep the bugs out.As for the balcony, put some mesh netting all the way around, or some lattice.
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QUESTION:
How do I put safety bars up on a HUGE window?
My baby girl is in a room now and I’ve been looking for bars for the window, both to keep people out and to keep her in. I like some out there, but they only extend to 48inches wide while the window in her room is a whopping 60 inches wide! Am I doomed to outside bars that would make fire-escape much more difficult? Or is there another option?-
ANSWER:
What you could do is to buy a steel building grid from your building supplier.They are wired across and up,like a brick pattern.They come in many sizes.You could put up brackets to hold the grid in,say in each corner of the window.You can cut the steel to fit your window.The other way would be to use a wood trellis.
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QUESTION:
what are some safe window coverings for a baby’s room?
i want something that is a flat panel when down, something i can paint or put a decal on for decoration (or that comes decorative–like scenery or something)i was thinking a roller shade? though roman shades look better, i’m worred about their safety…
any ideas?
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ANSWER:
I think a roller shade would be fine. There’s no cords or anything for your baby to choke on or get hung up in. I had roller shades in my room as a baby. Also, they would be very easy to decorate! Plus they make the room really dark for daytime naps. Just make sure they are secured very well up top so your little one can’t pull them down off of the wall.EDIT: Just curious, what is the theme of the room?
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QUESTION:
BABY SAFETY STATEMENT!!?
I looked out my front window this afternoon and I saw a woman riding her bike wearing a baby sling….with a BABY IN IT, no helmet!!!! I just want to make sure noone else out there is doing it…The baby will get HURT!!!! anyone else seen anything crazy like this before??If I had gotten the window open quicker or been outside I would have said something!!!
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ANSWER:
Some people just don’t think before they do things. A couple weeks ago when I was on my way to the store I saw a guy riding a bike with a toddler (probably about 2) on his shoulders!! So here he is riding his bike, and he’s trusting that this little boy is going to be able to hold on to his head tight enough that he won’t fall off. (by the way neither of them were wearing helmets)
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QUESTION:
ive just found a spiders web on my bedroom window with about 100 baby spiders in it, what would you do?
they all huddle together for safety when i go near so they must feel fear, i hate the thought of them being in my bedroom but i just cant under any circumstances kill them, the mother spider is a big un so probably all the babies will be too, or should i say the mother was a big un, its dead now i think the babies ate it.-
ANSWER:
gently scoop them into a jar and put them outside
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QUESTION:
how do i get rid of rear Child safety windows?
the windows dont even get half way down.
which i think is dumb.
if i dont want a baby falling out i would just lock the windows in place.-
ANSWER:
It is actually to keep children from sticking their hands out the window; it is not to keep babies from falling out the window.If you do not like it, you can get another car. It is not something that you can remove from an existing car.
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QUESTION:
This man wont leave me alone cut the screen to my window can i break my lease due to safety of me and my child?
This man lives on the third floor of my building. He knows my car and when my boyfriend takes the car to work he comes and knocks on my door but i don’t answer, Yesterday my window screen was cut but was fixed by the office. I have a 6 week old baby and fear for my life. this guy follows me around ive told him before to leave me alone. The cops have been called but they refuse to do anything about it. My office has been informed but they also refuse to do anything about it. Can i break my lease legally due to safety reason?-
ANSWER:
YES! If there is a clause in your contract called the “Right of Peaceful Enjoyment” clause or worded somewhat within another clause.Also, depending in what state you live in you may automatically get this right.
A lawyer can help you. Go see the legal aid people in your locale.
Start filing police reports to prove your claim that you do not have peaceful enjoyment of your premises.
Also go find a lawyer who sues stalkers. If you get lucky you might get a shark lawyer who will successfully sue everyone, police included, for monetary damages to you for violating you and your child’s right to safety and to peaceful enjoyment and maybe a whole slew of other rights.
I really didn’t mean to go overboard with that last paragraph. I just wanted to make clear you have lots of rights and lots of recourses available to you, but you will likely need a good, knowlegable attorney.
Best Wishes
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QUESTION:
I still don’t have a solution for baby proofing my windows?
So, I have been off and on thinking of a baby proof solution for my windows. I have a bit of time, maybe a few months before I really have to get serious about it. We live on the second story of a duplex.They have screens but screens are not sufficient in safety. And we MUST have them open in the summer because we have no AC and it gets hot here.
We do not want to use the burglar bars on them. We feel they are a fire hazard because we only have one door going in and out of the house, if we are to block the windows with bars we could become trapped in an emergency.
I have not been able to find anything that will work.
We have several large and tall windows that are only about 1 1/2 to 2 feet off the floor. The largest ones span about 5-6 feet wide. The largest ones are in the living room. The smaller ones we are going to use the baby window guards. But they will not work on the ones that are about 6 feet wide. The windows are also very tall, we have vaulted ceilings and they go up to the top of the ceiling.
The windows have no ledges or ridge of any kind that I can use a baby gate in them and the baby proofing window guard is not long enough… They are close enough to the ground that when he is walking (which will be soon) he could reach them with no problem.
I thought about using mesh but will that hold well? How will I keep it on there? My son is a bruiser and very strong… If I were to try to put some mesh over the window I am certain he could rip them out.
I have heard about kids being killed falling out of windows and I just worry that they could be a hazzard.
Does anyone have any suggestions other than burglar bars? And I would use gates if I had a place to put them in to over the wondow but there is no ledge…
Any ideas? Thanks!
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ANSWER:
Http://onestepahead.com has a plexiglass type guard that is meant for stair railings so kids cannot fall through. What if you put some of that across the bottom 2 feet or so of the big windows? You could put it up a few inches so you could crack the window. Look for the “no climb deck guard”.
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