Posted by Kelly Kuch on Tue, Apr 27, 2010 @ 12:10 PM
What is it? Baby's Dream exclusive Safety-Gate cribs have a top portion (6-9") that folds down.
How Does It Work? Push in the finger latch on both the left and right side at the same time to fold the gate down quietly. When in up position, gate is safely locked closed.
Here are some of the benefits:
Current collections that offer Safety-Gate cribs include Generation Next, Ocean, Infinity, Crib 2 College, Kathryn, and Legendary. Prices start at $399.
For more helpful info Watch these Videos:
http://www.babysdream.com/info/Animation.asp
http://blog.babysdream.com/Blog/bid/26395/Video-of-Baby-s-Dream-Furniture-benefits
Posted by Michelle Kersey on Tue, Mar 09, 2010 @ 02:46 PM
From outlets to cabinets, there are a multitude of places a baby or child can get into that can cause harm. While undivided attention is your number one asset to keeping your baby safe, it is nearly impossible to watch your child every second of the day. So, here are some safety measures you could take to prevent some injuries or accidents from happening.
Fireplace bumpers
- My son has fallen a couple times onto the bumpers. Thankfully, he "bounced" back both times without injury. Well worth the price to avoid a trip to the ER.
Corner guards
- If you can live without a coffee table for a couple years, it's worth it. You could also replace the coffee table with a storage ottoman: It doubles as a toy box and coffee table.
- You could also buy an edge bumper to go completely around all sides of a table.
- Place corner guards on all pointy edges: my desk is modern and has 11 of them... Ouch.
Outlet covers
- Put an outlet cover on every outlet accessible to your child.
- The safest outlet covers are ones that cover the entire socket; I have found some that even I can't pull out easily.
- If you use an outlet so much that you get tired of taking off the cover: install a Tamper Resistant outlet. A simple process that can be achieved in less than 10 minutes. (I did two by myself in my son's room)
Power strip cover
- For all the power strips within reach, use a cover. I have one over the power strip under my desk.
Baby gates
- Use hardware mounted gates for the top and bottom of stairs
- Use tension gates to block room access.
- I took a couple tension gates apart, and zip tied them together to prevent my son from playing with the electronics and cords in our glass entertainment center.
Cabinet/drawer locks
- I have found the adhesive/magnetic locks very useful for the cabinets under the sink where I keep all chemicals and cleaning supplies. I loved the adhesive ones because I literally could not drill through my maple cabinets. I have had the adhesive locks on for over a year and they're still holding strong!
- Traditional cabinet/drawer locks are useful inside dresser drawers. I installed some in my son's dresser after I woke to find him standing in the top drawer one morning.
- It is OK to leave some kitchen cabinets unlocked... you might just get tired of shoving all the pieces back in. However, there is nothing wrong with letting your child play in the Tupperware cabinet while you make dinner, it keeps them in eyesight.
Multi-purpose Adhesive Latches
- Can be used on trashcans, dishwasher, and refrigerator. Basically, anything you don't want baby to open that you can't drill into.
Stove Guards
- For any stove with controls on the front, get knob covers. Especially if you have a gas stove.
- Consider purchasing a stove guard if you will do any cooking on the front burners. A young toddlers hand can reach just enough to burn fingers.
Tipping Restraints
- Use on all objects that can tip. Bookcases, dressers, armoires, stoves, etc.
- According to a new study, TVs cause about 7,000 injuries while scissors are responsible for about 6,000 (less serious) injuries a year. Mount flat-screen TVs to a wall if you can. Or, make use of vent holes in the back of a TV. Zip tie a hoop in the back and connect with a zip tie through an eye hook, that is screwed into a wall stud.
- Bonus: All case pieces (dressers, hutches, armoires, etc) from Baby's Dream come with a free tipping restraint kit.
Childproof Door Knob Covers
- I used one of these inside my son's room once he was in a toddler bed. With an open stair case next to his room, I was worried he would leave his room the one night we forgot to close the baby gate. The knob cover kept him safe in his room while I was sleeping at night.
- Also, great for closets (Where do you keep cleaning supplies?)
- Used on every exit door in my home. Never can be too safe on that one, especially with a pond in my back yard.
Solid Door Stops
- The kind with removable caps can be a choking hazard.
Safety Belts
- The belts on a high chair and changing pad were installed for a reason. Children are likely to fall and be injured when the belts are not used.
Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms
- Consider investing in a linked system; where if one goes off, they all go off.
Scald Prevention Tools
- H2ot Stop makes bath and shower fixtures to prevent hot water burns. Consider replacing the fixtures in your child's bathroom with scald stops. There are also valves that can be used in sink faucets too.
Window Locks
- Do not rely on window screens: they are designed to keep bugs out, not kids in. Open the top half of a window, not the bottom.
Window Blind Cord Covers
- If your blinds have a loop, cut it.
- If the cords are long, you can use a window cord cover to keep cords out of reach. Or, a clothespin will work in a pinch.
Drywall Anchors
- Simple? Yes. Use dry wall anchors when not screwing into studs. Especially, when you are hanging something heavy.
Crib Safety
- Do not hang anything heavy on the wall above the baby's crib; unless it is properly anchored and you are confident it will not fall.
- Once your child is tall enough to pull up, be sure to lower the mattress level down.
- Baby's Dream safety-gate cribs provide an extra 5-6 inches of height on the front frame, so typically babies can stay sleeping in the crib an extra 6 months.
- Be sure to convert to toddler bed stage when your baby starts to stand and climb.
- According to the American Academy of Pediatrics and the CPSC: to prevent suffocation and reduce the risk of SIDS, practice the following for children under 12 months:
- Place baby on his/her back in a crib with a firm, tight-fitting mattress
- Do not put pillows, quilts, comforters, sheepskins, pillow-like bumper pads or pillow-like stuffed toys in the crib
- Consider using a sleeper instead of a blanket.
- If you do use a blanket, place baby with feet to foot of the crib. Tuck a thin blanket around the crib mattress, covering baby only as high as his/her chest.
It only takes a second of inattention for your child to find something dangerous. If you don't know what to look for, get down to their level and explore. While this list is not all inclusive, hopefully it has helped you see where you need to focus most of your childproofing efforts.
What safety hazard has your child encountered that you didn't know about until it was almost too late? What childproofing product have you found most valuable?
Posted by Kelly Kuch on Fri, Nov 20, 2009 @ 12:49 PM
Baby's Dream is committed to a healthier environment by providing non-toxic nursery furniture. Here is a video describing our latest safety measure, involving California new CARB standards.
To read more about our safety preventions agains lead, phytlates, and formaldehyde click here.
Posted by Kelly Kuch on Tue, May 05, 2009 @ 05:44 PM
1. Measure the room
Take the time to evaluate your space while imagining your dream nursery. Is your room big or small? Do you have large windows and small closets? Look at the reality of your space; its size and shape will determine what will work best in your room. Write down the dimensions, including the walls, windows, and height of the ceiling. Keep this information handy when you go shopping.
2. Check the Lighting
Make note of how the light changes in the room during different times of the day.Does the morning sun come through your nursery window, or is the room lacking in natural light? Your observation will help you decide the kind of window treatments to purchase as well as the colors to use in the room.
3. Layout the room in a grid
Sketch your nursery floor plan in a grid and note special details in the room. Start by making the crib the focal point of the nursery, and then determine where case pieces and other decorating accessories will be placed. Show your grid to a Baby's Dream retailer. This information will give the sales associates a clear visual of what you want to accomplish.
Use the Virtual Nursery Planner to play with your room layout.
Quick Tips:
- Avoid placing the crib under a window or in direct line with the doorway.Ideally, your crib should be placed on a sidewall. This will keep your baby from being awaken by the light shining through the window and away from the noise of the hallway.
- Keep in mind where the electrical outlets are. You may want to position a dresser near a wall outlet to conveniently plug in a lamp. To avoid small fingertips from being shocked, cover unused outlets with safety plugs.
Posted by Kelly Kuch on Tue, Apr 21, 2009 @ 05:50 PM
By Ross Felfeli, CEO, Baby's Dream Furniture, Inc.
Unlike the "Energizer Bunny" that "keeps going and going and going and...", many cribs sold today stop being of any use by the time the baby is around 2 years old, or until he can climb out of it.
The exception to this is the so-called "convertible crib". No, this crib does not have a plastic top that you roll back when the sun is out to let the baby get some fresh air. The "convertible" in convertible crib refers to its unique ability to change from a crib to a toddler bed to either a twin bed or a full bed, depending on the model and the manufacturer.
Convertible cribs have gradually become one of the most popular types of cribs sold in America. It is easy to understand why. Simply put, convertible cribs are one of the best values in the market. By paying a little more for a convertible crib, the consumer gets a bed that her child can use from the day he is born until he leaves for college.
With so many manufacturers offering convertible cribs, it is important that the consumer knows what to look for when buying nursery furniture.
Safety
The most important thing is that the crib meets all government and industry safety standards. Therefore, the consumer should know whether the crib meets or exceeds all ASTM and federally mandated standards. Cribs that have met those standards have been certified by the Juvenile Products Manufacturer's Association (JPMA). This certification is usually printed on the crib's box, on a sticker on the crib itself, and on the manufacturer's product literature or brochure. Pay attention to consumer buying publications such as Consumer Reports for top-rated cribs.
Quality
Ask the consumer to "kick the tires" as if they were buying a car. Since kicking the crib might hurt the consumer's foot and result in a lawsuit or insurance claim, it is better to just have the consumer grab the top side rail of the crib and shake it a little to see if it is stable. Does it wobble? Is it heavy enough to stay put in one place when the baby can stand and shake the crib? All frames should be made of smooth hand rubbed solid wood surfaces and assembled using steel bolts and steel inserts to reduce the possibility of stripping during assembly and/or conversion of the crib.
Gate Operation
Another important thing is to check and see how the gate operates. Is the operation quiet and smooth? After all, parents don't want noisy hardware to wake up the baby when they put him down and try to close the gate. Is it easy to open and close the gate or lower and raise the front side of the crib? It should be easy for an adult but next to impossible for the baby or his 4-year-old sibling. There are also cribs that have no moving hardware and have completely stationary sides, making them safe to use and easy to operate.
Design
The next thing is what the crib looks like when it is converted to a toddler, twin, or full size bed. Many so-called convertible cribs will only convert to a toddler bed. A true convertible crib will change from crib to toddler bed to a full size or twin size adult bed. Usually, the conversion requires some sort of metal or wooden rail that either comes with the crib or that the consumer has to buy separately.
Value
Convertible cribs provide great value. Little to no additional purchase is necessary to convert into the toddler bed and full-size bed position. This feature provides value for years to come and saves consumers the cost of purchasing additional furniture for their child. This also helps to ease the child's transition from crib to "grown-up" bed because they remain in the same environment that they have grown comfortable with. All in all, a good convertible crib should be an investment that will, literally, last a lifetime.