By Choosing the crib mattress might seem like the boring part, but remember how much that little one will sleep. You know how much the wrong crib mattress can affect your baby.
There are generally two kinds of crib mattresses i.e. foam or innerspring. An innerspring mattress is what most of us sleep on now. The foam mattresses are lighter than the innerspring, but either one can be a safe choice for your baby.
Look at the vinyl covering of the crib mattress. If it is thin, it can eventually crack. The thickness of the vinyl covering generally increases with the price, but there is no real need to choose the top of the line model.
You have to choose a crib mattress that is firm. If it feels soft and comfortable to you, it’s probably not hard enough for the baby too. The babies require more support than the adults do. When you push down, the crib mattress should spring back immediately.
Alwys buy a new mattress. If you are looking at a used one, look away. Who knows what is growing inside an improperly stored crib mattress? Think of the babies who wet the bed and combine that with a parent who may or may not have thoroughly cleaned the mattress after an accident.
Use a tightly fitting washable waterproof crib mattress covering. If this is your second baby, you know how you stored the crib mattress for your older child. If you have kept it clean and stored it in a dry environment, it is probably fine.
Crib Safety Tips
Babies are safest sleeping on their backs in their cribs. Crib Mattresses should be firm and tight fitting. If you can fit two fingers between the crib mattress and the slat, it is too small. A baby can become trapped between a loose-fitting mattress and crib slats. Never underestimate the ability of a tiny infant to move. Remember the acrobat doing cartwheels while you were expecting? Keep your little one safe.
- Use a sleeper or a wearable blanket rather than a blanket. Blankets, bumper pads, pillows and stuffed toys can be a suffocation or entrapment hazard. If you choose a blanket, choose a thin one and cover the baby no higher than the chest.
- Use fitted sheets made specifically for cribs as the loose sheets can be a hazard.
- Never use a crib with loose or missing slats. The infants can be strangled when their heads become trapped in broken or missing crib slats.
- Ensure your crib is properly assembled and is not missing any of the hardware.
- Keep the cribs away from windows, curtains, blinds with cords, baby monitors and electrical cords. Your peacefully sleeping infant will become mobile quickly and you do not want any of those items within your baby’s reach.
- The cribs manufactured after 2011 have met higher safety standards.
