A crib is the first place your infant stays when he or she comes home from the hospital. It is estimated that an average baby may spend as much as 6,000 hours sleeping during the first year alone. The majority of that time is usually spent in the crib. It is important to provide a safe place for your baby to sleep. Crib safety ratings have been developed through the years to provide information to the consumer before purchasing an infant crib.

Crib safety ratings or standards have been enforced in the United States since 1973 and continue to be updated regularly. Cribs manufactured after 1986 most certainly comply with crib safety standards. It is important, however, to know what to look for in a crib.

Shopping for a new crib

When shopping for a crib for your new baby be sure to keep certain safety standards in mind. First, check the distance between the slats. Slats should be no more than 2+3/8 inches apart. If they are any wider an infant can accidentally become stuck between the slats.

To keep the infant from falling out of the crib the drop sides should be at least 9 inches above the mattress when the sides are lowered. Also, when the sides are raised the top of the side must be at least 26 inches above the support at its lowest setting.

Other safety concerns include the stability of the crib. Check the model to see if it is secure. Test out all the features. Ensure that the head and foot ends do not have cutout areas that could pose a hazard (slats are fine). The crib mattress should fit snugly into the crib frame. If you can slip more than 2 fingers between the mattress and the side of the crib frame the mattress does not fit properly and could pose a safety threat to the baby.

Keep these concerns in mind when shopping for baby cribs. Be careful when using older hand-me-down cribs as they may not meet the proper safety standards. When assembling the crib be sure to follow directions accurately and test the crib before using it.

When you need to buy the nursery products for your baby then you could not ignore their safety and compromise with the quality of the mat. As there are several crib mattress are present in the market, it is difficult to get the best crib mattress. It is an important product to keep your baby safe. Before going for shopping better consider some important factors.

1) To choose the right bedding, it is necessary to look for its size. It should be well able to fit the baby inside it. The mat should neither be too long such that the baby slips over. It is recommended to get one of standard size. Before buying, be sure to measure the size of the mats clearly. The mattresses which are available in the market are not actually perfect, so you to need to check it firmly before getting it.

2) The second factor is the mat firmness. The best crib mattress should be firm enough so that the baby could sleep conveniently. The firmness of the mats helps in the growth of the body. Moreover it is also responsible to give the good posture to the baby. An interior support within the mats would be able to keep it free from loosing.

3) To give complete safety to your baby, you need to buy the good quality bedding. It is necessary to get the quality mats because the baby spends his recent years by sleeping on it. The good quality mats would be expensive but avoid getting the cheap products.

Choosing a Safe Portable Baby Crib

Portable baby cribs come smaller than the standard size. This usually is to accommodate portability, smaller spaces, traveling, quick set-up and an immediate place to put the baby in for safety.

Most are known by the names portable crib, play yard or the older name of play pen. They are designed for sleep or play. Most are made to fold up for travel and storage. They are also made small enough to fit through doorways to be able to move the baby crib from room to room. Due to the unique design of the cribs, extra precautions need to be taken to assure you have made the right choice for your child. There have been more deaths and injuries due to these portable baby cribs over the years than in the standard size. Another issue is that these units are more often a hand me downs or are purchased used. New or used a safe baby crib deserves your attention.
Your crib should meet current safety standards put out by Juvenile Product Manufacturers Association (JPMA) as well as checking with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission for product recalls.

As you check for safety, proper set up is extremely important. Make sure you follow the manufactures instructions, as attention to detail at setup can avoid accidents. Wooden crib slats should be no more than 2 3/8 inches apart. On all portable cribs, the top rails should lock into position not allowing collapsing which creates a V shape for the baby's head and neck can become entrapped causing possible strangulation. On any portable baby crib, once the rails have been locked in position, the rails should remain locked while the crib is in use for your baby.

A mesh sided crib, when a side is dropped down, can cause a pocket entrapping the baby. Crib mattresses come with the baby crib at the time of purchase. Some are designed to be the bottom of the crib as well as the mattress. The base is non-flexible and covered with thin foam and a non-removable water proof cover. All types of mattresses should fit tightly to the edge of the portable crib, with no more than a two finger width to the edge of the crib. The height of the crib mattress should be low enough to not allow a baby to be able to propel its self over the side of the crib.

To add to the crib safety, choose fitted sheets that are especially made for the size of the crib mattress. Take time to learn as much as possible to provide safety as your new baby comes home to a safe nursery and Grandma's house that often has a portable baby crib.