Blankets, comforters, pillows and crib sheets that lie loose in the crib are potentially hazardous for children. Babies are at risk of getting strangled or suffocated to death by getting entangled in them or by burrowing their faces in a soft pillow. A lot of attention is being paid to crib safety these days, especially after it came to light that children under 12 months can die due to such carelessness. Reportedly, a fair proportion of such deaths are caused by loose fitted crib sheets.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has taken a serious view of such deaths caused by negligence. This has resulted in an increased focus on the proper fitting of crib sheets. It is now being insisted that a warning be put on the label regarding the importance of stayput fitted crib sheets. The guidelines issued by CPSC include other aspects of crib safety to prevent accidents as well. Some of them are listed below:

• Crib sheets should be of a size that enables them to be securely tucked under the mattress. This is to ensure that they do not come loose by pulling at the corner of the sheet.
• Only crib sheets should be used in a crib. Adult sheets are easily dislodged and pose a bigger hazard of strangulation.
• Crib sheets for covering the child should also be tucked in the mattress. These should also only extend up to the chest of the baby.
• The baby should always be placed on his back on a firm mattress. The mattress should fit the crib, and there should not be ugly gaps between the mattress and the crib walls.
• Pillows, stuffed toys, blankets and comforters should not be kept in the crib.
• A wearable blanket or a sleeper is recommended over a regular blanket.

All wood surfaces of the cribs must be smooth so that the baby does not get injured by splinters, cracks or any other such defects. The slats, spindles, corner posts and rods should not have large openings. Large openings can allow the body to slip out, and the head may get stuck.

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