A parents guide to picking safe baby furniture

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Author: jonathan swift

Article source: http://www.articledeshboard.com/. Used with author's permission.

Make sure to install a functioning smoke alarm in your baby's nursery or right outside the door. When your child begins to crawl it's important that any spare electrical outlet is covered with a dummy plastic plug protector to stop your curious baby from sticking his fingers. Whenever possible, try to obscure electrical leads and outlets with nursery furniture your toddler can't move, like changing tables.

The second most important thing is your baby's cot as this is where they will initially spend most of their time in those first few months. When picking a cot it's necessary to make sure they conform with the appropriate safety standards (EN 716 within Europe. Check the cot is deep enough to stop your baby from climbing out as they grow. Check that the space between the bars is not capable of permitting the baby to trap their head. Make sure that if the cot has lowering sides that they have robust locks to stop them from being accidently released by your baby. It's important that second hand cots are inspected thoroughly for wear and tear of fixtures and fastenings and that you buy a brand new mattress for your baby. Your mattress must have a gap of no more than 4cm around the perimeter of the cot to stop your baby from becoming trapped.

Always place your newborn down to sleep on his back to reduce the dangers of cot death(SIDS) and stop using pillows or very fluffy bed clothes in the cot. When using a nightlight make sure it is located away from the cot and any other soft furnishings

When creating your nursery plan ensure no furniture is located close to windows, as your child grows they may try to climb up and have a look out. Never position squat nursery furniture your youngster one can use to climb on or furniture like cots or changing tables in front of windows to stop him from possibly falling out. Keep the windows in the nursery securely secured. If you need to open the window to create ventilation make sure the window is secured and never open more than 5cm, there are products on the market that stop windows from being opened any more than this.

Another item of nursery furniture responsible for many child injuries is the changing table. Always fix your baby securely with the changing table's safety straps and never leave him on the changing surface alone. Keep your changing supplies out of baby's grasp. Babies and toddlers are instinctively curious and nappy sacks or rash creams are potentially harmful.

Window dressings are a common cause of injuries and death in babies. Avoid using long curtains or drapes that may ensnare and choke a young baby and don't hang blinds with long cords in your baby's rrom. When using blinds make sure the cords are tied up to keep them short and are never within a child's reach.

Select your toy storage carefully. Toy boxes must be fitted with child friendly hinges or lightweight fabric lids to stop little fingers from becoming trapped. Boxes are tempting places for youngsters to climb into so it's essential they won't become shut in. Drawers are also possibly dangerous and ideally should have a safety close function. Cupboard and wardrobe doors are also a possible hazard to your baby and you must consider fitting child safe mechanisms to stop your child from injuring themselves

By following good information and using common sense, new parents can make sure they make the correct choices when choosing nursery furniture and produce the perfect bedroom for their new baby.

Gary is an authority on nursery bedroom furniture and writes for a variety of sources including his blog.Having years of experience assisting customers about purchasing nursery furniture he is able to supply sound advice on all manner of purchases from baby's first cot to what to look for when buying a changing mat.