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In the first few years of life, your baby will spend more time in his or her crib than any other single place. Naturally, you want it to be welcoming, comfortable-and most of all, safe. What's the best way to ensure crib safety? We consulted the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, National Safety Council, the American Academy of Pediatrics and other child safety experts in order to bring you these suggestions.

1. ALWAYS place your baby to sleep on his or her back. This greatly reduces the risk from SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) or suffocation. Since the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended back-sleeping five years ago, SIDS deaths in the USA have declined by 38%.
2. Remove all soft bedding-pillows, comforters, blankets and stuffed animals-from the crib to further reduce risk of suffocation. Instead of a blanket, dress baby in a sleep sack or sleeper.
3. Make sure the crib itself meets current safety standards. This means:
   • The slats are no wider than 2 3/8" apart
   • The mattress is firm-not soft (foam or coil - your preference)
   • There is no gap between mattress and crib walls. Two fingers worth of space is too much!
   • Corner posts are level with the height of the end panels (just 1/16" higher at most)
   • There are no decorative cut-outs in the headboard or footboard
   • Top rails, when raised, are at least 26" above the mattress support in its lowest position
   • Hardware is secure-no loose or broken screws or pieces. Recheck periodically!
   • Drop sides cannot be accidentally released by a child. (According to the National Safety Council, the crib sides should require two separate steps to release. If this is a one step process, it should require a minimum force of 10 pounds to release.)
   • Look for a safety certification seal on newly manufactured cribs.
   • Top rails should be covered by Teething Guards.

In addition:

• Keep blind cords, curtain pulls, electrical cords and mobiles out of baby's reach.
• Maintain a cool room temperature give a recommended range to prevent overheating.
• Place baby's crib away from any source of draft.
• Make sure baby's fitted sheet is secured to the mattress and will not pop loose.
• Place a baby monitor in the nursery.
• Consider purchasing a special crib mattress that circulates air around baby. This helps prevent the rebreathing of carbon dioxide, which is believed to be a leading cause of SIDS.
• If you use bumper pads, make sure they are tightly secured to the sides of the cribs. Trim excess ties or straps.

For safety's sake, you will need to modify baby's crib as he matures. Remove mobiles and crib gyms at about five months to avoid possible entanglement. In addition, as soon as baby stands up, set the mattress at its lowest position and remove any bumper pads to keep baby from climbing or falling out of the crib.

When has baby outgrown the crib? Once the top of the crib rails are less than three-fourths your child's height, it's time to move to a toddler bed!

One Step Ahead offers a number of products designed for crib safety. To view, click here.