Baby Cribs

Strangulation and suffocation may occur in cribs that have older, unsafe designs. Before using a crib, look for a Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association certification seal indicating that the crib meets current safety standards. The following safety precautions should also be taken:

• Ensure that the crib has no missing, improperly placed, loose or broken hardware.
• Check the spacing between crib slats to ensure that the baby's body cannot slide through the opening. Crib slats should be no more than 2 and 3/8" apart (about the width of a soda can). Old cribs with missing slats pose a significant hazard.
  
• Ensure that corner posts are not more than 1/16 of an inch above the end panels. This will prevent a baby's clothing from catching on the post and leading to the possibility of strangulation. If the crib has a canopy, the corner posts should be at least 16 inches high.
  
• Look for splinters and rough edges that could injure the baby.
  
• Look for cracked or peeling paint to avoid lead poisoning.
  
• Only use tight-fitting mattresses so the baby cannot become wedged between the mattress and the side of the crib.
  
• Remove pillows comforters, toys and other soft products from the crib.
  
• Never hang anything on or above a crib with string or ribbon longer than seven inches.

For more information on crib safety, contact the U.S. Consumer Product Safety
Commission (scroll down to select crib safety)

See the Consumer Product Safety Commission's publication: Hotel and Motel Crib
and Play Yard Safety Checklist

Window Blinds

Children also strangle on window blind cords. It is important to make sure that all window blind cords are out of the reach of a child and that furniture is moved so a child can not climb to reach the blind cord.

• Tie up all window blind and drapery cords or cut the ends and retrofit with safety tassels.
  
• For older mini-blinds, or Venetian blinds, cut the looped cord, remove the buckle, and put a safety tassel on each cord.
  
• Older vertical blinds and draperies should have tension or tie down devices to hold the cords tight.
  

For more information on blind cords, contact the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (scroll down to select window covering cords)

Visit the Window Covering Safety Council at http://www.windowcoverings.org/ to order free repair kits for your windows.

Toys

Inspect the packaging of toys for children before purchasing them. The Child Safety Protection Act requires choking hazard warning labels on packaging for small balls, balloons, marbles and certain toys and games having small parts that are intended for use by children ages 3 to 6. This Act also bans any toy intended for use by children under age 3 that may pose a choking, aspiration or ingestion hazard.

• Children have a natural tendency to place objects in their mouths. If a toy is smaller than 1 1/4 inches in diameter and 2 1/4 inches in depth, the toy should be kept away from children under 3 years of age. Perform a "no-choke" test at home for suspicious products! If the toy/small part can fit inside a regular toilet tissue tube, then it poses a choking hazard for a child less than 3 years of age.
  
• Ensure that children play with age-appropriate toys according to safety labels. Inspect old and new toys regularly for damage. Make any necessary repairs or discard damaged toys.
  
• Balloons cause over half of all toy-related deaths. Keep balloons out of the reach of children under 8 years old. Un-inflated balloons should always be stored out of reach of young children. An adult should always supervise when children in this age group play with inflated balloons. Always deflate and throw away balloons after use and discard balloon pieces immediately.
  

For more information on toy safety, contact the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (scroll down to select toy safety)

For more information of choking prevention contact Risk Watch®: http://www.nfpa.org/riskwatch/topchoke.htm/

Clothing/Bike Helmets

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued voluntary guidelines for drawstrings on children's clothing to prevent children from strangling or getting entangled in the neck and waist drawstrings of upper outerwear garments, such as jackets and sweatshirts.

• Remove drawstrings from children's clothing. The strings can become entangled with playground equipment, bus doors, or cribs. Completely remove the hood and neck strings from all children's outerwear, including jackets and sweatshirts, sized 2T to 12.
  
• Never allow children to wear necklaces, purse, scarves or clothing with drawstrings on playgrounds to prevent strangulation.
  
• Do not allow children to wear bike helmets on playgrounds. They pose a strangulation hazard for children, since they can become stuck in openings on playground equipment.
  

See the Consumer Product Safety Commission's publication: Strings Can Strangle Children On Playground Equipment: Safety Alert

See the Consumer Product Safety Commission's publication: Wear Bike Helmets On Bicycles - Not On Playgrounds

Visit http://www.vahealth.org/civp/pubscivp.asp to view and order tip cards on this and other injury and violence prevention topics.