New standard for Crib

A new regulations on crib has been released. If you are picking a crib for your baby, you should read this before any purchases.

My tips on buying crib:

• Do not buy second hand crib as it may not fulfill the up-to-date standard and you do not know whether the previous owner disassembles it in the right way
• Check what kind of paints it used and make sure that's safe for your child
• Pick a firm mattress because infants need firm support to their backs
• Check if the model is recalled from time to time after you bought it better register it so that you get the alerts
• NO drop-sides bed

Other things you should note when setting up the crib (from AAP)

Crib

Lower the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). All healthy babies younger than 1 year should sleep on their backs at nap time and at night.

• The safest place to sleep is in a crib with a firm mattress with a fitted sheet.
• Keep pillows, quilts, comforters, sheepskins, and stuffed toys out of your baby's crib. They can cover your baby's face, even if she is lying on her back.
• Bulky items left in the crib could be used as a step for climbing out when your baby is able to stand.
  Don't hang anything with strings or ribbon over cribs.
• Make sure the crib has no raised corner posts or cutouts. Loose clothing can get snagged on these and strangle your baby.
• The slats on the crib should be no more than 2-3/8 inches apart. Widely spaced slats can trap small heads.
• Use a mattress that fits snugly in the crib so your baby cannot slip in between the sides of the crib.
• Tighten all the screws, bolts, and other hardware securely to prevent the crib from collapsing.

My little guy is using: IKEA Guilliver Crib + Sealy Baby - Ultra Rest Crib and Toddler Mattress

Website to check for recalls:
http://www.cpsc.gov/cgi-bin/cribs.aspx

AAP reference on Crib:
http://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/at-home/Pages/New-Crib-Standards-What-Parents-Need-to-Know.aspx

Picking Highchair - IKEA ANTILOP

When choosing baby gear, the first thing we always put is Safety!

We starts looking for a high chair when baby is around 4 months of age as he will need one after start eating solid foods. The fisher price one always caught my attention and they look quite beautiful with colorful pattern. One of our relatives strongly recommend the one from IKEA, she said it is easy to clean and the price is unbeatable. After researching on the internet and knowing that high chair with wheels and folding mechanism are not necessary and there were a few recalls on Fisher price high chairs in the past, so we decided to go for IKEA's. With the attractive price at only $19.9 plus the tray around $5 dollars, you can't go wrong. So far, we love it. Simple and easy to clean.


http://babyproducts.about.com/od/feedingdrinks/bb/highchairbuy.htm


Supplementary Notes (Nov, 2011): Baby is now 10+ months and we think that the IKEA highchair is not 'safe' enough. Baby can get out even the safety belt is on in 30 seconds. We are thinking to get another high chair.