Safe and sound, asleep (or awake!) in a play yard

 Play yards with bassinet attachments can double as a portable crib. But play yards were associated with 32 infant deaths between 2002 and 2004 alone, the most recent years for which statistics are available. Suffocation is the leading cause.

To rest easy when your baby is sleeping in a play yard, follow these stay-safe strategies.

Don’t use a play yard made before 2000. If you’re shopping for a play yard, look for the JPMA seal. Also, check the floor pad: It should be snug-fitting and no more than 1 inch thick. Like bassinets, the safest play yards have mesh panels, which foster airflow. The weave should be small (less than one-quarter-inch openings). The sides should lock securely; to be sure, press on them on the floor model.

Don’t pad the pad. When using a play yard for your child’s naps or overnight sleeping, never add extra mattresses or padding and don’t use blankets or other types of soft, cushy bedding, which pose a suffocation hazard. The mattress pad supplied by the play yard manufacturer is thin for a reason: to prevent a child from becoming wedged between the pad and the sides.

Travel with your own play yard. A hotel crib or play yard can be a safe haven for your baby, provided that it meets current safety standards. But you don’t know how old the crib or play yard is. Play it safe and bring your own play yard from home when you’re traveling.

Keep attachments safe. The changing-table restraining strap should be completely encased on the table’s underside and you shouldn’t be able to pull the buckling ends through into the play yard. Always remove any attachment when your child is in the play yard. Stop using them when your baby reaches the weight limit (typically 15 pounds for a bassinet, 15 to 25 for a changing table) or can push up.

Comments

[Margie]

Do you have any information on the Baby Bjorn Travel Light crib. Is this ok to use as a play yard? Thank you.