Are the Safest Sleeping Arrangements?

The safest place for your child to sleep depends on her age and developmental stage. An infant is safest sleeping in a crib, because cribs are made with a baby’s safety in mind. A bassinet, which is a movable basketlike bed, sometimes with legs, is another acceptable sleeping place for an infant. Bassinets are intended for infants up to about five months of age. Cribs are intended for children from birth until they are about 35 inches tall (approximately two years old) or are able to climb out. When children outgrow the crib, they graduate to a bed.

Since 1973, the U.S. government has had a mandatory safety regulation for cribs. Voluntary industry standards have also been developed more recently to address safety issues not covered by the 1973 regulation. The existence of regulations and standards is good news, because they ensure that crib designs eliminate hazards associated with past injuries and deaths. For example, to prevent an infant’s being trapped, the slat spacing in cribs must be no greater than 2³⁄₈ inches, and to prevent hanging injuries, cribs can no longer have tall end posts (finials).

The mandatory standard for cribs does not apply to bassinets, but there is a voluntary industry standard for bassinets (new in 2002). Likewise, there are voluntary industry standards for toddler beds (in effect since 1997 and revised in 2003) and bunk beds (in effect since 1992 and revised in 2001). Industry standards evolve continually; standards are made and revised as we learn more about injuries and the causes of injury. Although they may have nostalgic value, handme-down cribs, cradles, and bassinets can be dangerous if they belong to a different safety era. Your children should have the benefit of upto-date safety measures. Do not use old cribs, cradles, or bassinets for children, whether at home or away from home. When in doubt about the safety of a sleep product, contact the manufacturer and ask if the product meets current standards.

Frequently, parents take newborns and young infants into their bed, because having the child in the parents’ bed can facilitate feeding and encourage family bonding. However, the adult bed is not a safe place for an infant to sleep through the night, for five reasons: 1. Adult beds usually have pillows, blankets, quilts, or duvets, any of which could cover a baby’s face and interfere with her breathing. 2. These beds have gaps between the mattress and the bed frame. A baby can easily be caught and trapped in one of these gaps. 3. Beds can never be pushed close enough to a wall to eliminate gaps. The greatest number of infant suffocation deaths result from babies’ being wedged between a bed and a wall. 4. The adults’ bed is also occupied by much larger people who can roll over, onto, or up against a baby. 5. Crib safety standards do not apply to adult beds.