The one thing that all new parents are ultra paranoid about is that something somewhere somehow is going to hurt their baby. This week the Consumer Product Safety Commission banned the sale of "drop-side" cribs. The kind that allow you to move part of the crib rail down to make it easier to pick up or put down your baby. I think this ban is long overdue. Deaths from suffocation and entrapment due to the malfunction of these cribs have been reported for a long time.
Before we had our son we looked up recommendations about baby products online on Consumer Reports, and quickly found out that these drop-side cribs were considered dangerous. However, not everyone has the resources or time to thoroughly research what products they choose.
This ban on drop-side cribs leads me to the one nugget of baby safety advice that I would give new parents...
Nine times out of ten the more convenient something is for you the less safe it is for your baby.
Yes, it is a pain to have to lean over the crib railing to put your baby into his crib, and it is even more of a pain when they weigh 20 pounds. Yes, it is a pain to have to be fastidious about making sure the seat-belt in the car seat is tightened down every time you put your baby in the car. Yes, it is a hassle to put your baby in a pack n'play or crib before you run to the bathroom when odds are they will not hurt themselves in the 30 seconds you are out of sight. But do you really want to take the risk?
Another recall of Graco strollers this year was related to a strangulation hazard. I was really surprised until I read the recall notice and realized that the infants who were strangled were not buckled into the stroller so they slid down and got stuck. Back to the safety rule - more convenient for you not to have to buckle the child in the stroller, more dangerous for the child.
Crib bumpers: another safety hazard
Another safety notice regarding crib bumpers explain how these (and any other bedding, pillows, or stuffed animals in cribs can be a hazard). As far as I can tell these products are purely decorative, although they are supposedly helpful in preventing babies from getting their arms or legs stuck through the crib bars. With my son we used a breathable crib bumper, I am not sure it made a difference. Of course with him by the time he slept in his crib he could easily roll over and lift up his head. Even with the breathable bumper he still occasionally got an arm or leg stuck through the crib railing. However, I would much rather have this happen than have him somehow suffocate on fabric!
What do people think? I am sure some libertarian-minded people out there might say that parents should have the right to use whatever products they want with their child, even if they might pose a safety risk. Of course most babies who sleep in these drop-side cribs never get stuck, but I personally could not handle living with the fear that it might happen!
 |
| CPSC image showing potential danger |
Before we had our son we looked up recommendations about baby products online on Consumer Reports, and quickly found out that these drop-side cribs were considered dangerous. However, not everyone has the resources or time to thoroughly research what products they choose.
This ban on drop-side cribs leads me to the one nugget of baby safety advice that I would give new parents...
Nine times out of ten the more convenient something is for you the less safe it is for your baby.
Yes, it is a pain to have to lean over the crib railing to put your baby into his crib, and it is even more of a pain when they weigh 20 pounds. Yes, it is a pain to have to be fastidious about making sure the seat-belt in the car seat is tightened down every time you put your baby in the car. Yes, it is a hassle to put your baby in a pack n'play or crib before you run to the bathroom when odds are they will not hurt themselves in the 30 seconds you are out of sight. But do you really want to take the risk?
Another recall of Graco strollers this year was related to a strangulation hazard. I was really surprised until I read the recall notice and realized that the infants who were strangled were not buckled into the stroller so they slid down and got stuck. Back to the safety rule - more convenient for you not to have to buckle the child in the stroller, more dangerous for the child.
Crib bumpers: another safety hazard
Another safety notice regarding crib bumpers explain how these (and any other bedding, pillows, or stuffed animals in cribs can be a hazard). As far as I can tell these products are purely decorative, although they are supposedly helpful in preventing babies from getting their arms or legs stuck through the crib bars. With my son we used a breathable crib bumper, I am not sure it made a difference. Of course with him by the time he slept in his crib he could easily roll over and lift up his head. Even with the breathable bumper he still occasionally got an arm or leg stuck through the crib railing. However, I would much rather have this happen than have him somehow suffocate on fabric!
What do people think? I am sure some libertarian-minded people out there might say that parents should have the right to use whatever products they want with their child, even if they might pose a safety risk. Of course most babies who sleep in these drop-side cribs never get stuck, but I personally could not handle living with the fear that it might happen!
No comments:
Post a Comment