However, first-time parents can be tempted to buy it.
"You saw a lot of different beddings with the characters and just the cute designs, and pillows, even, and the fluffy quilts," says mother Stacey O'Brien.
Consumer Reports
went to O'Brien's home to show her just how dangerous the bedding can be.
Consumer Reports
' Kim Kleman says it is not safe to use quilts, pillowy bumper guards, pillows, and stuffed toys, in a crib with a baby less than a year old because they pose a suffocation hazard.
Another caution involves one of the first crib accessories new parents buy: bumper guards.
"Your baby will be fine without them. In fact, the Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends that your crib not have bumpers," Kleman says.
If you do use bumpers, make sure they are flat, not thickly padded. And, be sure to remove them when your baby can sit or stand without help. Otherwise they could use them to climb out of the crib.
To keep your baby warm, Kleman suggests using a one-piece sleeper not lots of blankets.
"If you do use a blanket, make sure it's thin, and tuck it into the mattress. Make sure it comes only to the baby's chest," she says.
The baby's crib should really be almost bare with only a fitted sheet securely fastened under the mattress.
It may not be as attractive as store displays and ads, but the no-frills look is safest for babies.
Related Link:
Baby Safety
©2002 Consumers Union of U.S., Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
