If you haven’t had the opportunity to check out Part 1 of this Prepping for Baby series on the hospital kit, click here to check it out.  Part 2 of this series is all about the nursery.  Some of what I’ll put in here is no-brainer stuff, and nearly all is from resources outside myself.  Before delving in, I have to cite three books that are excellent guides for RookieDads:

• The Pocket Idiot’s Guide to Being an Expectant Father (ISBN 978-1-59257-224-3),
• Your Pregnancy for the father-to-be, 2nd ed. (ISBN 978-0-7382-1275-3),
• and lastly The Modern Girl’s Guide to Motherhood (ISBN 978-0-06-088534-2).

Regarding this last one, I’m so not above reading a book written for women.  Honestly, I’m using What to Expect… as a mousepad right now and have damn-near read thing cover to cover.  This Modern Girls’s guide is awesome.  Excellent, concrete advice for parents.  I don’t believe there’s a “Modern Guy’s Guide to Fatherhood” but if anyone wants to co-author it with me, I’m game.  That said, these books I rely on heavily in the lists and info below, along with Fit Pregnancy magazine; and of course I rely on the folks who’ve been there.  I can say without any cheekiness that literally nothing other than my random attempts at wit can I call my own thoughts.  Everything below is due to these sources.  The only value I add is aggregating the best of these resources for you into an easy-to-use list, and what results – I hope – is a omprehensive checklist to get you organized and in the right direction for prepping, setting up and stocking the baby’s room, starting with the crib.

So let’s start with the basics:

So your basic concerns here are: can the baby rest in the thing? and can the baby not hurt itself while in there?  With that in mind,

• Entanglement/Suffocation:
  • Current laws dictate that slats can be no more than 2 1/8″ apart.  The number isn’t arbitrary.  The Consumer Products Safety Commission which governs crib guidelines established this value based upon field tests, case studies, amd statistical and empirical data.  Anything wider than two and an eighth inches poses an entanglement risk.  What does that mean in common terms?  Your baby can trap her head or limbs between the slats, and just like a poorly executed Steven Segal movie – crack goes an arm.  Or worse, your precious little one can suffocate with it’s head stuck.  I’d say of all items related to the child, do not play around with cribs and car seats.  These are highly regulated, so make sure that if you get a used crib, it adheres to the most current CPSC safety guidelines.  You can access the latest list here.
  • It probably doesn’t need to be said, but the slats should be vertical, not horizontal.
  • Another suffocation risk can be posed by the mattress.  Be sure that the mattress fits securely.
  • Another consideration is crib posts.  Many older crib models have posts that are higher than the crib rail.  Remember how Superman used to hang up villians by their shirts on a flag pole.  Same thing can happen with your little one.  This is a strangulation risk, so either cut off the posts or toss the crib and get a new one.
• SIDS risk:  SIDS – or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome – is very real.  You may know someone or at least someone who knows someone that this may have happened to.  Me?  I had a family member experience this excruciating loss.  I truly can’t imagine what that must feel like, and I pray I never, EVER experience it myself.  You can do some things to ensure you minimize the risk of SIDS with your child.
  • Get a firm mattress.  Some of the latest research indicates that firm mattresses reduce the risk of this God-awful thing.
  • Also, be sure to take everything bulky out of the crib.  Some of the latest research says to not include ANYTHING in the crib other than the baby and a sleepsack or onesie.  Toys, quilts, bumpers, and even less than extremely snug sheets – all of these can pose a risk for SIDS.  Remember everything should be military snug.  Consider that the only way to be sure you are safe(er).
  • For later, when the child can roll over on their own, bumpers can be a way to minimize boo-boos from night-time thrashing.  That said, the bumper should be soft but not too thick and should attach to the crib’s slats in at least 6 places so that it is snugly arranged arounfd the lower permieter of the crib.
• Fall/Collapse Hazard:  So some obvious stuff here – make sure all hardward is present, the bolts/screws don’t free-turn in their holes, wood joints are tightly joined, mattress has a good support (will probably resemble spring Army barracks mattress supports) and that the supoprt hangers attach securely to the hooks on each on the posts, the crib once assembled is sturdy, strong, and stable.  If can rock back and forth like a see-saw, breakdown the crib, take it to the backyard, and set it on fire.  Odds are if everything is bolted together and it still isn’t 100% stable, then it isn’t safe for any baby and should be kindling or termite food only.
• Sleeping Position:  Babies should sleep on their backs until they can roll over on their own.  Honestly they should sleep on their backs regardless of whether they can roll over.  This is SIDS prevention 101.  You can use a crib wedge while the baby is very young to keep the litle one from turning over onto their belly
• Baby On the Move:  Your crib should have adjustable rails so that when the little one gets off her belly and onto her little legs, she can’t climb out of their crib.
• Sheets 101:  You should cover the mattress with a fitted mattress pad, then a fitted sheet (again keyword here is snug), and then a lap pad or piddle pad (to facilitate night-time changing – much easier to do according to the Modern Girl’s Guide).  The latest Fit Pregnancy (Sept. 2009) also provides an interesting tip from a mother of multiples.  One mother of twins suggests that you consider layering sheets and pads to make changes extremely quick and easy; that you should use a mattress pad, then a waterproof pad, then a sheet, then a waterproof pad, then a sheet, then a lap or piddle pad.  If the top sheet gets soiled pull off the top layers and then you a re good to go with fresh sheet right below it.  I would say use your best judgement here.  The extra bulk in precautionary bedding can increase the potential risk to the child just as an ill-fitting sheet can.  I’ll be going the slightly more inconvenient route of changing to new sheets when she has an “accident” and give myself some piece of mind around the suffocation risks posed by too-soft or ill-fitted bedding.

I’ve read many times that during the first few weeks a baby could be just as comfy in a dresser drawer as in the most premo crib.  Leaving you this evening on that thought, remember:

Safety first, aesthetics second.   Convenience matters less than your child’s well-being.  When in doubt, consult the authorities (e.g. the CPSC).  And make sure you cover your bases on the crib that way you can rest easy and your baby can too.

Sweet dreams,

RookieDad Sean

-Look for the next segment of Prepping for Baby when we discuss other nursery topics, knowing when to head to the hospital and more.  Until then….