Dos and Don’ts of Crib Safety

Let's talk crib safety - all the things that you want to do to keep your child safe in the crib and things that you don't want to do that may be a little bit dangerous.

Do: Keep Crib at Nipple Height

So, the first thing that you do want to do is keep it under nipple height. When you baby is still really young, the mattress is going to be pretty high up, but as he or she grows and starts to be able to sit and pull to stand you're definitely going to want to move the flats down so the mattress is lower. When your child is standing they should be nipple height with the top of the crib so they can't tip and fall over the side of the crib

Don’t: Have Crib Near Windows or Cords

You don't want to have the crib near any windows or cords - you don’t want anything that could be any kind of strangulation concern or that you child could tip and lean against a (for example: screen or glass).

Do: Keep the Crib Empty

Another DO is that you want to keep the crib empty. You don't want to have anything else in the crib besides your baby, wearing a swaddle or a sleep sack. That's really important because you want to make sure that their sleep space is as safe as possible.

Don’t: Have Bumpers or Crib Tents

Another don't is that you don't want to have bumpers or crib tents. You don't want to have anything along the sides of the crib because that could be a risk if your child rolls into it and gets their feet stuck against it. You also don't want to have anything over the top of the crib that again could affect air flow or that your child could get stuck in or could fall down on them potentially as they are sleeping.

Do: Have a Firm, Breathable Mattress

You want to make sure that you have a firm and breathable mattress. Typically when you buy a crib mattress there's two sides - there is an infant side that is a little bit firmer and then there is a toddler side that is a little bit softer. Make sure that you are looking at the tags on the mattress so you can be sure you are putting the firmer side on to. It may sound counterintuitive because as adults we want to have a nice soft cushy bed but for children we want to have that nice firm surface so if they do get their face in they're not going to be able to squish into this nice soft mattress. You want it to be a little bit firmer so they can't really dive their nose into it

Don’t: Don’t Have More Than Six Centimeters Apart

Lastly, you don't want to have the vertical crib slats more than six centimeters apart. You want to make it so there's no big gaps where they could fit their head or half of their body through. If you have a crib with a big fancy headboard, you want to make sure there's no big cutouts that could be a potential danger. 

Bonus Don’t: Don’t Use a Drop-Side Crib

They don't sell them anymore but as an additional don't you want to make sure that you haven't gotten an older crib from a family member or a friend that has a drop down side. They are no longer in production for good reason because they found that sometimes they were faulty and the side was dropping down onto children or while children were sleeping causing them to fall out.

If you found this crib safety information helpful, pop it in the comments and make sure you follow along on my YouTube channel for more baby sleep tips!