Where to find a safe list when picking out baby things?
Posted by James on July 2, 2013 · 2 Comments
Question by Lori m: Where to find a safe list when picking out baby things?
I’m trying to find what the safest car seats, cribs, Etc are. Does anybody know where I can find one?
Best answer:
Answer by Alyssa’s mommy
If its sold on the market then it has been tested and tested and meets the safety standards.
You can read customer reviews online for every product on the market. I’d dedicate a few nights and just read, read, read.
Really though, more expensive doesn’t always mean better. Just like in clothes, you pay more for the designer brands.
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All car seats, prams, cots etc have to pass safety regulations. The more expensive ones have nothing to do with being safer, they are just a better name, or maybe have more padding, some have sun visors (which suck because you cant see out the back window when its on)
You sort of have to do the work for each one. Consumer Reports tend to be a very good place to start, as well as the CPSC (Comsumer Product Safety Commission) which has a full list of recalls as well as pictures and that can give you an idea if one particular company or design seems to be recalled very often (for instance, in jogging strollers certain brakes always seem to be recalled.)
For instance, with car seats there are advances every few months really. Things to look for in a safe seat are side-impact testing (it’s not required by the government but many car seats are doing them now), rear facing for as long as possible (the Graco-65 My Ride goes backwards to 40lbs now) since that decreases their chance of injury 5 times, and recent safety tests (Britax always scores high, but in a newborn seat the Chicca carseat scored higher.)
With cribs, the Simplicity drop sides are very dangerous because the crib wall can break away and the baby can get stuck there. Now, they don’t sell these anymore, but if you’re looking at a drop side crib then you would want to look at these and make sure that the design addresses that safety issue, or else get something else.
I’ve found looking at recalls a very good way of identifying bad designs and avoiding them. I’ve also found more than one Craigslist item that was recalled that someone was selling.