A few days ago, the CCTV quality report column named the “problem crib”, which once again aroused parents’ attention to the baby’s sleep safety.
According to reports, the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Market Regulation recently conducted a random inspection of 30 batches of online baby beds, and the unqualified was as high as 46.7%! Most of the cribs sampled have various safety hazards such as falling and pinching children.
Image source: Sina Weibo @CCTV News
While parents were angry, they also raised questions: there are so many “parallel goods” on the market, how can they find a safe crib?
We specially invited pediatric expert Fan Yunzhu to tell you, what should a qualified crib meet?
Buy a crib for your baby and pay attention to 9 o’clock
Referring to the 2011 US standards on crib safety, it is recommended to pay attention to the following points when choosing a crib[1,3]:
1. The fence spacing of the wooden crib must be less than 6 cm to avoid accidentally jamming the baby’s head.
China requires the spacing of the crib fence to be 45mm~65mm
Image source: CCTV quality report
2. The partitions at the head and end of the bed should not be hollowed out or carved to prevent hooking or scratching the baby.
3. The corner posts on the four corners of the bed should be level or much higher than the headboard to avoid suffocation if it hangs on the baby’s clothing.
Image source: Defective Product Management Center of the State Administration for Market Regulation
4. All parts must be original, including screws, bolts, nuts, plastic, etc. If the original accessory is broken, you should go to the manufacturer to buy a replacement.
Because the health and safety of the original product is guaranteed and can be perfectly matched, there is no risk of loose parts. If it is replaced at will and not perfectly matched, it is easy to loosen the parts, and if the crib falls apart or a certain part is loose, the child may be stuck or trapped in the middle or even suffocate.
5. The crib should not have rough corners or sharp parts, and the wood should not have burrs or cracks.
If it is rough, sharp or burrs, find a way to smooth or smooth it, and if the wood has cracks, then do not use this bed, unless you can find a merchant to replace the original parts, and it can be fully fastened.
6. The mattress should be firm and hard, and it should be exactly matched with the crib; If you want to buy a mattress separately, the size must be the same as the bed, and the distance between the mattress and the side of the bed cannot be greater than two fingers.
Image source: American Academy of Pediatrics
7. The material used in the crib should be firm and healthy, and do not contain benzene, formaldehyde, heavy metals and other substances harmful to health.
8. When the baby learns to sit (usually around 6 months), the height of the mattress needs to be lowered in time.
Before the baby learns to stand (usually 6~9 months), the mattress should be lowered to a minimum to ensure that when the baby stands up, the height of the fence is higher than the nipple position.
When the baby grows to about 90 cm tall, or when the baby stands up, the height of the fence is lower than the nipple position, the bed is no longer suitable and needs to be replaced in time.
9. It is not recommended to buy a crib that can be lowered on one side of the guardrail.
U.S. regulations prohibit the manufacture and sale of cribs that can be lowered on one side of the guardrail, because such parts are prone to malfunction, causing the baby to get stuck or fall through the gap between the mattress and the siderail.
However, few cribs in China can meet this requirement. If you choose a crib that can be lowered with one sidebar, the sidebar should be at least 23 cm above the mattress when lowered and at least 66 cm above the mattress when raised back into place.
Compared with the convenience of adults, the safety of the baby is more important, and it is recommended that parents choose a crib with a fixed sidebar. If you buy a crib that can be put down by the sidebar, try not to use this function on a daily basis.
The above points are the most important matters related to the safety and health of children.
The other functions are secondary, if they do not affect the fastening of the crib and are safe for the baby, then it is fine. Like what:
With rollers, in fact, the crib at home rarely changes position frequently, this function is not necessary; And if the wheels are not fixed, when using the mother-child bed mode, the baby has the risk of falling out of bed or getting stuck in the cracks.
Easy to store.
Can be converted into other furniture, etc.
Is it necessary to use a bed circumference for my baby?
There is no need to purchase a crib.
The American Academy of Pediatrics opposes the use of crib circumferences. There is no evidence that bed circumference is useful in preventing bruises, but it can pose a potential risk of suffocation, crevices, or getting stuck, and in severe cases, death.
Older babies may also use the bed fence to climb out of the crib, resulting in a fall accident. Many infant casualties are related to bed circumference [1,3].
Therefore, for the safety of your baby, do not use a bed circumference for the crib.
References
[1] Tanya Altmann, David L. Hill, Steven P. Shelov, et al. Caring for Your Baby and Young Child: Birth to Age 5[M], 7th ed. New York: Bantam Books Trade Paperback Edition, 2019.
[2] Robert Johnson, [US] Esther Creech, Walter Cook, by Wu [Cen Bird], trans. Mayo Parenting Complete Book[M]. Beijing:Beijing Science and Technology Press,2017.
[3] American Academy of Pediatrics. Make Baby’s Room Safe: Parent Checklist[OL]. healthychildren. Last Updated 24/1/2019. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/at-home/Pages/Make-Babys-Room-Safe.aspx
This article was reviewed by Sui Jing, former deputy chief physician of pediatrics at Peking University Third Hospital
Source: Lilac Mama
Image source: Defective Product Management Center of the State Administration for Market Regulation
