How Can I Make Sure My Baby’s Bedding is Safe?
Oftentimes new parents choose baby bedding based upon its looks instead of its functionality. Unfortunately, this is not the way in which baby bedding should be chosen. Instead, a baby’s safety and comfort should be thought of first and foremost. When you begin thinking in this way, you will find that there are some things that you really should not do. This includes:
1. You should never ignore your baby’s safety. With this being said, you should know that the government has established safety measures that a crib must measure up to. It is important for you to know what these safety measures are so that you can make sure that they are being adhered to. These include having no sharp corners, flimsy wheels or slats that are further than 2.5 inches apart. So, while you can still save money by purchasing a used crib, you need to make sure that these aforementioned rules are being adhered to and that the crib has not been recalled.
2. Make sure that you never use any bedding material that your baby could possibly be allergic to. You should stick to using wool, cotton or other types of baby-friendly synthetic material.
3. Make sure that the baby bedding you use is not soft. Instead, your baby’s bedding should be firm. This is really important because soft baby bedding is one of the leading causes of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).
4. You should not place a lot of cushions, pillows or other items into your baby’s crib. The AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) says that this is especially true whenever your baby is sleeping.
5. Make sure that you do not use bumper pads because, according to the AARP, this increases your baby’s risk of dying from SIDs. If you choose to ignore this and use bumper pads anyway, at least make sure that they are not soft and bulky and that you securely attach them to the crib and cut off any extra string.
6. You need to be sure that you never use rubber sheets. These use to be quite popular as they keep things dry but you should know that they will also irritate your baby’s skin. So, today flannel-lined mattress pads are being used instead since they have been specifically designed to keep things dry without irritating your baby’s skin.
Now that you know what you should not buy for your baby, you can feel safe and secure in going shopping for those things that you should purchase for your baby. Happy shopping!