Hi folks; I’m jumping over here from Taunton’s sewing forum, but I’m wondering if I can get some pointers from folks here.
We are expecting our first child, and my husband is planning on building a crib. His job is building; mine is evaluating plans, general research, and possibly bits of finishing. We’ve made a few simple things before (bookcases, a small cabinet for the bathroom), but this is the most ambitious project yet.
Here’s my question–does anyone know of any safety guidelines for cribs that we should know about? Any leads would be most appreciated!
Replies
Fruzzle-
Try this:
http://www.baby-furniture-guides.com/baby-crib-safety.html
Lots of information on other baby stuff, too. I just Googled "crib construction guidelines".
You also might try to contact the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
kreuzie
Kreuzie,You nailed that one right to the board. I don't think you could have given her any better info.Boiler
Awwwww.....shucks!
Just bein' a gentleman, helpin' a lady in distress.
kreuzie
Basically:
Sturdy. Sturdy. Sturdy. You don't ever want it to collapse with the baby in it
No openings that you can pass a hardball through. By the time they are mobile, their head is bigger than the hardball, so they can't get their heads stuck.
If you would consider buying a blueprint, Rockler has one of a nice crib and also carries the hardware you might need. My friend built one for his grandchildren. I built a cradle from the same company but the child grows out of it powerfully fast.
Just a note, because I care about fellow Knotters........
You mention that you might be involved in the finishing process, and that would be a great tome for you to share with your husband.
(And perhaps I'll get lambasted for saying this, but I will anyway.)
Please be sure to use a finish that is very low in VOC's (volatile organic compounds), in addition to all of the non-toxic requirements that (I'm sure) you already had in mind.
Although it is extremely rare, breathing too much of the VOC-vapors has been known to cause problems (specific to pregnancy) that none of us want to hear about, related to you and your child.
There are a number of water-based finishing supplies that are quite good. And much better in your case, than the solvent-based stuff.
I won't be laughing at the lies when I'm gone,
And I can't question how or when or why when I'm gone;
I can't live proud enough to die when I'm gone,
So I guess I'll have to do it while I'm here. (Phil Ochs)
All finishing materials MUST be used with ample ventilation. This is especially true for infants and for pregnant women. The VOC count is important for global warming considerations, but not the only issue involved with using finishes safely.
It is NOT true that waterborne finishes are dramatically safer than oil based or solvent based. Water is the carrier in waterborne finishes, but there is also solvent, which is typically an glycol ether. There are a great many specific chemical forms under the category of glycol ether, some of them relatively hazardous, and in particular known to cause birth defects, others don't carry the same risk. I don't know enough to discriminate among them. Just because there may be no noxious odor doesn't mean there aren't hazardous chemicals in the air.
Furniture finishing, or stripping, doesn't strike me as a good activity for pregnant women.
<Furniture finishing, or stripping, doesn't strike me as a good activity for pregnant women. >
Steve,
I've just got to call you out on this! Stripping certainly isn't a good activity for pregnant women; the tips are terrible.
Zolton If you see a possum running around in here, kill it. It's not a pet. - Jackie Moon
I built a crib for our first child. Aside from wanting to construct a crib for our child after seeing some of the junk that was for sale and didn't appear to be at all safe i went at it. My goal was to make all corner perfectly smooth with roundovers that wouldn't allow clothes to catch or hang if they were to try and crawl out. The slats as others have noted were very close together about 2-1/4". I didn't have a safety guideline but some conservative design goes a long way. My crib was constructed of Maple (birdseye) and Cherry so I finished it with shellac. Shellac is non-toxic when cured so when your child is teething you shouldn't have to worry about ingestion. Since i wasn't the one who was pregnant at the time (thank god)the application of the finish
wasn't a health concern; however, i wouldn't have wanted my wife exposed to VOC at that stage. Good luck. you will enjoy the process.
Thank you all so much--this is very useful information.I've done a bunch of background research on paint/finishing/etc, and also consulted with my OB; the general consensus seems to be that ventilation is critical but that otherwise most products do not carry a high risk. And of course to stop if you don't feel well! Of course this applies to occasional use; I imagine there are stricter safety standards for women who do this as a daily occupation. (And, although it goes without saying, this is not medical advice--everyone has their own comfort level & should do their own research/consult with their doctor/ and so on.)We knew about the slats, but I hadn't considered teething, so thanks--I'm going to double check the paint we were considering.
I'll second SawdustSteve's comment. I built the crib which all four of our kids used. I used the Rockler hardware set. Someone advised me to buy the mattress first, and I think it's an important point. Ours was a tight fit.
".......Shellac is non-toxic when cured.........." Yep. Good choice. Mineral oil or mineral oil/beeswax also should work - I use that for food-contact stuff (cutting boards, etc.)
Hi Fruzzle Not a safety concern, but.... before cutting any wood, purchase the mattress you are going to use and compare ITS dimensions against the wood cut-list on your plans.
Not all crib mattresses are a 'standard size' and not all plans are adjusted to the size mattress you have purchased.
Shellac is probably the safest of the brush-on finishes, but bees wax, heated and rubbed into the unfinished wood gives many varieties of wood a beautiful glow.
SawdustSteve Long Island, NY (E of NYC)
Going back to the initial question about baby safety.
Something to look at is the "failure mode" of the finished crib. By this I mean thinking "What if?".
Try to ensure that if a glued joint fails the joint will still hold mechanically. If a screw strips out of the wood the parts it is joining won't come apart.
Probably obvious but I have seen stuff on sale which did not meet these criteria.
I remember my 3-years-younger sister jumping up and down in her crib. Suddenly the mattress base parted company with the frame. Talk of a wide-eyed surprised look! Fortunately only the crib was hurt.
By "crib" I mean a small bed with side railings. We use them when the child can sit up unaided. Before that there is the "cradle", which rocks. I'm not sure if Ameracan word usage is similar in this case.
This information is outdated and no longer meets the federal safety standards for Crib design. This should be removed or updated.
Here in this article, the topics are disclosed in more detail https://babyamo.com/crib-mattresses-for-baby/
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