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Baby Furniture Safety Can Prevent Unnecessary Accidents From Occurring in Your Baby Nursery.

Baby furniture safety should be a primary concern in the baby nursery. So baby nursery furniture items should always be selected with baby protection in mind.

One would think that when it comes to specifically designed baby room furniture, safety would be guaranteed, but this is not always the case.

Each year, in the US alone, 92,000 babies sustain injuries, severe enough to warrant a trip to the emergency room, in incidents related to badly designed baby nursery furniture. Accidents can also occur when baby furniture is used incorrectly.

It is important that you are aware of the safety hazards associated with the incorrect use of baby furniture, as well as, the use of baby nursery furniture items that are not well designed for their intended purpose.

Follow the baby furniture safety guidelines on this page to ensure that your baby's nursery is safe and sound.

For information on baby crib safety, click here.






The following infant safety guidelines apply to all items of furniture in your baby room. Most of them are designed to prevent accidents from occurring when your fragile little newborn suddenly mutates into a mischievous, mobile munchkin!

• All baby nursery furniture should be placed away from windows. (Baby will soon be crawling and climbing. Don't give him any opportunity to climb up to the nursery window.)
• All baby nursery furniture should be placed away from:
  • Heaters
  • Power points
  
  • Window cords
• All nursery furniture corners should have corner bumpers.
• All nursery furniture should be free of rough surfaces, sharp edges, points and protrusions.
• Nursery furniture should be sturdy and strong.
• All locking devices should lock firmly and securely and be simple to operate.
• Look for entrapment hazards on all baby nursery furniture.
  
  Small fingers can get caught in holes between 5 and 12mm; arms and legs in gaps between 30 and 50mm; and heads in gaps greater than 85mm. (Head and/or upper body entrapment can result in death by asphyxiation.)
• Dressers, armoires and bookcases should be strapped to the wall to prevent tipping. Furniture, even wide dressers, can be surprisingly tippable.



There's nothing more heartbreaking than the look of shock on baby's face when the drawer that he thought was his new best friend suddenly slams shut and hurts him!
• All drawers should have safety latches installed.
  
  Crawling babies and toddlers open drawers and use them as a ladder to reach items higher up. The open drawer plus the weight of the baby can cause furniture to tip. Drawer latches also prevent trapped little fingers.
  
  Look for latches that are easy to use and install, but that are sturdy enough to withstand pulls and tugs from toddlers.
• To keep your baby nursery furniture safe, inspect and maintain it regularly. Repair or replace immediately when signs of damage appear.
• Be sure to send in the product registration card received with your item of baby nursery furniture. This will ensure that you are notified in the event of a recall of that furniture item. For the latest baby furniture recall news, click here.

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In addition to the above baby furniture safety guidelines, the following infant safety points apply specifically to baby changing tables.

You will spend an amazing amount of time here with your baby. Between diapering, washing, dressing and general fussing, the hours will soon add up. Make sure there is no possibility of an accident happening here...

• Drawers should be easy-glide with drawer stops if applicable.
• The table should have safety rails, preferably a gallery rail all the way around. The American academy of Pediatrics, recommends a rail of at least 2 inches in height right around the table.
• If you have an open front changing table, please realize that babies can break pieces off of wicker baskets and choke on them. Rather choose storage baskets made of plastic, jute, canvas or wood for your changing table shelves.
• There should be safety straps, either on the changing table or pad. These should be properly adjusted and fastened whenever you have your baby on the changing table.




Please note that rails and straps are not a substitute for your hands on attention. Serious head injuries have resulted from babies rolling over and falling to the floor - and believe me - it can happen in a split second.

You should always have at least one hand on your baby. Drawers or shelves should be easily accessible without leaving baby unattended. If possible place the baby changing table against the wall and stand in front of your baby during changing.


Please note:

The ingestion of baby oil is especially hazardous for babies. It gets into their lungs, causing severe problems that can result in death.
• Make sure that there are no small objects that baby could choke on, or open lotion bottles etc. within baby's reach.
  
• There should be a secure attachment mechanism for the optional changing table tray, pad, flip-kit or hutch, if you are using a dresser.
• The changing pad should be waterproof, non-allergenic and nonflammable.
• Use a contoured changing pad, preferably with contour on at least three sides. It helps to prevent baby from rolling - Extra height contour pads are available to provide greater infant safety.
• If you have a folding baby changing table, make sure that the frame is securely locked everytime you change your baby.

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You'll spend many memorable hours of bonding in your special nursery room chair. Make sure your time isn't spoilt by an easily preventable accident...



The following points apply specifically to nursery rocking chairs:

• Rocking chairs are notorious for pinching little fingers and toes under the runners. Be careful if there are other small children playing in the room while you are rocking baby.
• Try to place your rocking chair on nice thick carpet. This will minimize the injury to fingers if they do get rocked on. If you do not have carpet in your baby nursery, a thick nursery rug will work just as well.
• Make sure that the runners of the nursery rocker are shaped correctly. This will prevent your over-zealous toddler from tipping the chair over backwards, while he picks up enough speed to attempt a launch to the moon!

The following points apply specifically to nursery gliders:

For infant safety, choose a nursery glider with wooden panels covering the sides.

Curious, crawling babies will stick their fingers into any and every hole they can find. Wooden panels will prevent little fingers from being pinched or cut by the moving parts of the glider mechanism - ouch!!



In the name of style, baby armoires are now available with glass door panels. Please do not buy one of these for your baby nursery. When baby starts crawling and toddling, banging on this glass is going to prove irresistible - and dangerous. Even plexiglass or other acrylic equivalents are not suitable for your baby's room.

Make sure that the doors of your armoire close securely, with locks if possible. Door handles or knobs should be high enough, to be out of reach of wandering fingers. You don't want them getting pinched when baby starts playing "Who can make the most noise by slamming the armoire door"!




Children's toy boxes are one of the most hazardous pieces of baby nursery furniture.

According to the CPSC, they have resulted in incidences of death and brain damage, mainly in children under two.

Accidents occur when toddlers reach over into the toy chest and the lid drops, either falling on their head or trapping them at the neck between the lid and the edge of the toy box.

Children's toy boxes have also resulted in suffocation, when children have climbed into the toy box, to hide or sleep, and have been trapped inside. Unfortunately, such hiding places are simply irresistable to little explorers.

To prevent the occurrence of such accidents, follow these baby furniture safety guidelines for baby toy box safety when looking for a toy box for your baby nursery:

• Preferably find a toy box with no lid.
• If the box does have a lid, it should be lightweight and removable.
• The toy box should have a support that will hold the hinged lid open.
• The lid should not have a latch.
• The toy box should have ventilation holes or a gap between the closed lid and box.
• Fitting rubber stoppers to the lid underside, to produce a gap between the lid and the box of at least 12mm, will provide ventilation and prevent trapped fingers.

Wicker baskets present an unexpected baby furniture safety hazard. Babies can break pieces off of wicker baskets and choke on them. Baskets that are within babies reach, for example, under the crib, should be made of a material other than wicker.

Storage baskets are available in all sorts of other materials including jute, wood, plastic and canvas.














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