The only things that can go in the crib with your baby are:
- A tight-fitted sheet that is manufactured for your infant’s sleep surface.
- A pacifier with no pacifier attachments.
- Instead of blankets, to keep your baby warm consider using a wearable blanket or sleeper onesie.
- And of course, your baby!
There should never be anything soft in your baby’s crib. There should never be any pillows, blankets, stuffed animals, comforters, or bumper pads inside the sleep area or attached to the crib. These items increase the risk of suffocation when placed in your infant’s sleep area.
When we tell parents and grandparents not to use blankets, most become concerned about how they are supposed to keep their baby safe AND warm. Blankets are no longer recommend to use in the sleeping environment because they can pose a suffocation hazard if the blanket covers the baby’s face. So, what should you use instead of using blankets? Use a wearable blanket such as a Halo Sleep Sack, or a long-sleeve sleeper onesie.
SAVE YOUR MONEY! All you need to buy for your baby’s crib is a fitted sheet. You don’t need to buy the expensive crib-set that contains all of the items that are actually very unsafe for your baby to use.
Bumper Pads
Bumper pads should never be used in an infant’s crib. New safety standards make the accessory unnecessary. Before our current safety standards were in place, the bars of the crib could be as far apart as the manufacturer wanted. There were no regulations, so a baby could get their head stuck in the crib bars and injury his or herself.
Now, bumper pads are unnecessary. The Consumer Product Safety Commission’s standards now require crib bars to be no further apart than 2 3/8 inches. An easy test is to take a normal can of soda and try to fit it between the bars. If it fits, your crib does not meet the current safety standards.