Very Important Baby Safety Information... Please Read:
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, recommends the following practices to reduce the risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) and prevent suffocation for infants under 12 months:
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- Place baby on his/her back on a firm tight-fitting mattress in a crib that meets current safety standards.
- Remove pillows, quilts, comforters, sheepskins, stuffed toys and other soft products from the crib.
- Consider using a sleeper or other sleep clothing as an alternative to blankets, with no other coverings.
- If using a blanket, put baby with feet at the foot of the crib. Tuck a thin blanket around the crib mattress, reaching only as far as the baby's chest.
- Make sure your baby's head remains uncovered during sleep. Do not place baby on a waterbed, sofa, soft mattress, pillow, or other soft surface to sleep.
- Use only a fitted bottom sheet specifically made for crib use.
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Consumer Product Safety Alert... Crib Sheets:
FROM THE U.S. CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION, WASHINGTON, D.C. 20207
Sheets in cribs or beds can sometimes be hazardous to babies. Since 1984, CPSC has learned of the deaths of 17 babies, most under 12 months old, who suffocated or strangled primarily when they became entangled in sheets in their cribs or beds. Two of these deaths related to fitted crib sheets.
CPSC staff has worked actively to strengthen safety requirements for fitted crib sheets. Consumers soon will see warning labels on fitted crib sheets stressing the importance of a secure fit on crib mattresses. CPSC staff and industry also are working together to improve the fit of these sheets on mattresses.
To prevent tragedies, parents and caretakers can take the following precautions to ensure a safer sleeping environment for their young children.
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- Make sure crib sheets fit snugly on a crib mattress and overlap the mattress so they cannot be dislodged by pullingon the corner of the sheet.
- Never use an adult sheet on a crib mattress; it can come loose and present an entanglement hazard to young children.
- Place a baby on his/her back on a firm, tight-fitting mattress in a crib meeting current safety standards.
- Remove pillows, quilts, comforters, and sheepskins from the crib.
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Check your Crib for Safety:
There should be: |
- A firm, tight-fitting mattress so a baby cannot get trapped between the mattress and the crib.
- Cribs that are assembled wrong, have missing, loose or broken hardware or broken slats can result in entrapment or suffocation deaths. Infants can strangle when their head and neck become entrapped in gaps created by missing, loose or broken hardware or broken slats.
- No missing, loose, broken or improperly installed screws, brackets or other hardware on the crib or mattress support.
- No more than 2 3/8 inches (about the width of a soda can) between crib slats so a baby's body cannot fit through the slats; no missing or cracked slats.
- No corner posts over 1/16th inch high so a baby's clothing cannot catch.
- No cutouts in the headboard or foot board so a baby's head cannot get trapped.
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For mesh-sided cribs or playpens:
Look for: |
- Mesh less than 1/4 inch in size, smaller than the tiny buttons on a baby's clothing.
- Mesh with no tears, holes or loose threads that could entangle a baby.
- Mesh securely attached to top rail and floor plate.
- Top rail cover with no tears or holes.
- If staples are used, they are not missing, loose or exposed.
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For more information on infant bedding safety go to:
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Web site: www.cpsc.gov
American Academy of Pediatrics Web site: www.aap.org. |
