Written by More important is the safety of your child that the protection and presentation of the crib, some experts suggest: should remove the plastic covers of the new mattress, until the baby can sit avoid putting things above the crib, avoid using bulky blankets.
Before you start shopping for that bundle of joy you’re expecting, consider some advice from local experts on the things you shouldn’t buy for your baby’s crib.
Dr. Jocelyn A. Dummett, medical director and pediatrician at Middletown Community Health Center, and Nancy Laterra-Ferraro, pediatric nurse practitioner at Chelsea Pediatrics in Goshen, weighed in on crib dangers that could harm your baby.
Here are five things you should never put in — or near — your newborn or infant’s crib:
DON’TS 1. Plastic covers or an ill-fitting mattress that wasn’t made for the crib
“Sometimes a family will get a hand-me-down crib without a mattress,” said Dummett, “so the parent goes out and buys one. Make sure you buy a mattress that fits the crib. For newborns to 12 months, you should be able to fit no more than two fingers between the mattress and the wall of the crib.”
Dummett also strongly advises parents who purchase new mattresses to take off the plastic cover.
“You see this nice, new, pretty mattress, and you think it’s going to keep the mattress nice and clean. Take it off, because it’s a choking… continue reading
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