Saturday, January 12, 2008

Safety Tips for Baby Furniture

By JB Anthony

Various baby furniture have various sets of safety precautions. However, there are a couple of common baby safety tips you should keep in mind in all furniture.

Placement of Furniture

Believe it or not, the spot where you place your baby furniture can help prevent accidents and injuries to your baby. Cribs for example should never be placed beside a low window or beside a heavy piece of furniture. A baby that is already on the standing phase might fall off from a window or might get crushed under a piece of furniture that might accidentally topple. Another example would be high chairs which should not be placed beside walls or counters since a baby could use these to kick off from and topple a high chair.

Furniture Knobs and Latches

A good baby furniture must be child-proof. Simple leg latches and strap locks of high chairs for example may be operated by a toddler or an older baby which may cause the straps to loosen or the high chair to collapse. Cribs too with side knobs may be tinkered with by a curious baby and cause a crib to collapse.

Age of Baby

A baby's age and weight also matters in choosing the best furniture for your nursery. Most baby furniture pieces contain age and weight requirements. If you are unsure then simply use your common sense. Some changing tables and strollers will not be able to hold the weight of babies nearing the toddler stage.

When your baby begins to stand up, it is advisable to use baby brackets. Brackets installed behind a piece of furniture and attached to the wall can help support furniture that could topple over a curious baby who attempts to scale cabinets and drawers.

Labels

Always check the labels of all baby furniture pieces. Although furniture sold in stores are supposed to be compliant with government safety standards, you should always make sure that your baby's furniture carriers the right label that says so. Warning labels are also another thing to look at. Warning labels will tell you how exactly should pieces of furniture be used and what you should not do with it.

Recalls

Every now and then, check for model recalls. Although most baby furniture in the market are believed to be safe at the time that they are released to consumers, some product flaws are only discovered weeks or months after the release. Always have an ear and eye out for product recalls that may include your furniture model.

Specific Use

All pieces of toddler furniture have been carefully designed with babies' safety in mind. You should always remember though that even the safest piece of furniture is intended for use with adult supervision. Never get tempted to let a piece of furniture baby sit your baby for you. Always keep an eye on your baby whether he is on a crib, playpen, high chair or just crawling on the rug on his own.

Is your baby furniture safe enough for baby? Read the best baby safety tips from experienced moms!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=JB_Anthony

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