Four Safety Reasons to Buy New Baby Crib Sets, Bassinets and Beds
A new baby is expensive, so new parents are bargain hunters, looking for the best prices on baby boy and baby girl crib sets. As a new parent you might be tempted to work through relatives and scrounge garage sales to find used cribs and baby beds. Unfortunately, this is one area where shopping used can’t help you, because the disadvantages far outweigh the benefits. To keep your baby safe, buy new. Here are four reasons why you should always choose new baby bassinets and baby beds.
Baby Bedding Safety Standards Change Frequently
Baby bedding standards are regularly revised as government and consumer advocacy groups test hundreds of products. http://www.cpsc.gov/ has many, many recalls related to baby beds and cribs. We ensure our inventory is compliance with the latest standards and that no product is under recall. You can’t say the same thing about a crib you find through the want ads. Regulations change in everything from the allowed distance between slats to the paint and mattress material. Buy new to avoid these problems.
Mattress Fitting Matters
One of the most important safety considerations for a crib or baby bed is that its mattress has a tight, secure fit – and this is also one of the first things to go after prolonged use. Mattresses deform, or the system used to secure them breaks. Mattresses go missing and people replace them with ones that don’t fit properly. A poor mattress fit can trap a baby or cause falls once the baby starts to experiment with standing up. Buy a new set with a tightly fitted firm mattress.
Safety Standards Apply to New Sets
While many cribs can last through multiple births they are not tested to hold up for an unlimited length of time. Furthermore, testing doesn’t take into account stresses from reassembly and other occasional stresses. This means that even a crib built to current standards may be too worn out to be safe for your next child. Your choice is to either inspect any used crib according to rigorous safety standards or just to buy a new one.
Used Sets Have Hygiene Risks
Everyone knows babies are messy. Even the most diligent parents can’t prevent some invisible contamination. Unfortunately, recent studies have shown that this can have a more serious effect on your baby’s health then previously thought. Certain byproducts of baby messes such as fungal spores have been known to react with mattress chemicals, producing toxins. If you buy used, chances are there will be some contamination, making these even more of a hazard.
In short, if you’re buying a crib or bed for your baby, the safe answer is simple: buy new.
Tags: baby bedding, infant bedding sets