One thing that many new parents are concerned about is creating a safe environment for their baby, which includes their cribs. Cribs are supposed to be an environment of comfort and safety for your baby, which many parents find hard because of crib toys. What these parents don’t know is that even though it can be difficult to balance comfort and safety when choosing crib toys for your baby, it is something that can be done.
The biggest concern that parents have when choosing crib toys is the risk of suffocation or even breathing problems that are associated with SIDS. This is a real concern and needs to be addressed, but it does not mean that you cannot buy certain toys for your baby’s crib. To avoid this danger you will need to remove or avoid placing toys, stuffed animals, or blankets that are large and fluffy in your baby’s crib while they are sleeping because they can cover your baby’s face and block their breathing passages.
Another thing to avoid is long strings or cords on crib toys. If the strings or cords are longer than six inches, they can be a strangling hazard to your baby. Crib mobiles are the exception to the string warning until your baby reaches five months of age. Once your baby has reached five months of age or as soon as they can sit up on their hands and knees, you will need to remove any crib mobiles that have hanging toys. The reason for this is that your baby might pull on the mobile and injure himself or pull it down and become entangled in the cords.
Check all crib toys that you purchase for any parts that can be considered a choking hazard. A good rule of thumb to keep in mind is anything that can fit inside an empty toilet paper roll is considered small enough to be a choking risk. You want to careful inspect stuffed animals for small buttons or plastic eyes that can be pulled off by your baby. This part is important because many times parents underestimate their baby’s capability of removing the small parts, it is better to be safe than sorry.
Another feature that you want to avoid on crib toys is strings or cords. Toys that have strings or cords can be a choking hazard for your baby, especially if the strings or cords are longer than six inches. When your baby is playing with toys that have strings or cords, your baby can become entangled in the strings or cords, which can cause them to suffocate.
Large toys that are durable are something else to avoid in a baby’s crib. Most parents know to avoid large toys that are soft because of the suffocation hazard, but they don’t tend to think of large and durable toys as a hazard because babies cannot suffocate from those toys. Large toys provide a different type of hazard because your baby can use the toys to stand on and eventually climb out of their crib. Any toys that allow your baby to climb or stand on should be removed from the crib, especially by the time they are five months old.
Before you decide to put any toys in your baby’s crib, you are going to want to thoroughly inspect the toys for any hazardous parts. You will also want to read all manufacturer instructions and warnings before you or your baby use a crib toy. Your best bet with any crib toy is to remove any loose toys from your baby’s crib while they are sleeping so that you can ensure the safety of their environment.