When you’re preparing to have a baby, there are so many things you have to learn, and items you have to purchase to make sure that your child has a safe place to live. One of the things you really don’t want to have to worry about is a child’s crib, because that’s where your baby will sleep and spend most of their time as a newborn. However, your child’s crib or basinet can be a real problem, due to the fact that the mattresses may be too soft to protect your infant. If a mattress is too soft, it can lead to different problems, including a greater risk of SIDS. This generally happens when a child rolls over while sleeping and is unable to breathe. There’s no reason to worry though because there are things you can do to make sure that your child’s bed is as safe as possible.
How to Check the Mattress
There are no standards or laws governing crib mattresses, but that doesn’t leave parents without options. Here is an easy way to check to see if your mattress is too soft or not.
You will need a few things before you begin. Find some old CDs, about 12 of them, and two cartons of juice or milk that contain 1 liter or 1 quart of liquid. Make sure they are the cardboard kind that has a square bottom. You will also need a bit of plastic wrap, in order to wrap up the CDs. On one carton, make a line with a marker around the entire carton, approximately 1.5 inches from the bottom.
Take the wrapped up CDs and place them on the mattress you’ve purchased, in the place that seems the least firm. Next, set the juice carton with the line on it on top of the CDs, with the marked section lined up with the outer edge of the CDs. Then place the second juice container on top of the first container, in a way that makes them sit up in a parallel manner. You don’t have to stack them perfectly on each other; some can hang off the side. It is more about making sure the items don’t fall over while you’re trying to look at the results.
After you have set up all these items, check to see if any of part of the carton that has been marked is sitting on the mattress. If the lower part past the marking is touching the mattress at all, it means that the mattress is likely too soft for your baby to sleep on it without being at risk.
What to Do
If you find out that the mattress you’ve chosen is too soft for your child, you’ll want to see if you can return to the store or retailer you purchased it from. You definitely don’t want to put your baby at risk, so you should do everything you can to find them a mattress that will be safe and comfortable for them.
You should also remember that you need to be sure that the mattress you have chosen fits securely on the bed. Nothing should be moving around while baby is sleeping, as this can be a choking hazard as well. This means no extra blankets, toys, or anything like that until your baby is old enough and strong enough to be able to roll over and can breathe well no matter what position they are laying in.
Another thing to keep in mind is that you’ll need to test all the mattresses that your child will be laying on. If they have a separate crib at day care or a relative’s house, you should test them too because you only want the best for your little one. It is also important to let others know which items are not safe, and tell all your friends that are pregnant or have newborns about this method. It could safe infant’s lives but there isn’t a lot of information about it available at this time. This is why it’s important to let others know about this, so they can make informed decisions.