After planning and waiting for baby for the last nine months it is also important to make sure that you have chosen the right crib that will provide a safe environment for the little one. Looking at the choices you have around in the shops you might be tempted to lean towards to the decorative and fancy type, just because it looks good, but it is important to make sure that it is also practical for usage as well.

For at 3 in the morning when you have tried to put the baby down for the umpteenth time and failed you will be tempted to throw the darn uncomfortable cot out the window and balloons , clowns and teddy bear decorative faces will not save the day.

Here are some important factors to keep in mind.

HAND ME DOWN NOT - Buying the all important crib for you baby is equivalent to buying your first car. Research, research, research. Sounds a bit extreme you say, but I recommend that you be safe than sorry later. I understand the sentiments of well meaning older relatives who quite gladly hand down those precious family heirloom cots that so and so has slept in. But be realistic, despite the bundles of sentimentality oozing out from such a gift a lot of the cots of olden days are not practical nowadays.

What you say, if it was good for my ‘Seeya’ it should be good for my little one. But knowing that most paints used in the early days were lead based and dangerous for a little baby to be inhaling or that the slats in the cot were wide enough for a curious toddler to get their heads stuck in, why take a chance. Crib safety should take into the development of the child and any decorations on the cot such as cut outs or improper slating should not pose as a danger as the child develops.

ACCESSORIZE WISELY – It is easy to get carried away with all the soft cuddly toys that you can  buy for your baby. But in this case too much can be too much. Do not strive to put every cuddly toy given to your child in the cot with them. Minimize the accessorizes in the cot with your baby. Beware of any toys that can fall and smother your child.

Also if you choose to have cot bumpers around the cot, make sure that there are no extra long ties that the baby can get twisted up in. Any mobiles you have hanging should not be so low that it is in the baby’s face. Change the toys in the cot as your baby develops.

COT EXTRAS – When choosing your cot also make of key functions that it can do such as if you are able to lower one side of the cot. This will make your life quite easy when you have to lug baby in and out of the cot your back will surely thank you for it. Also ensure that the cot has various mattress levels for as your baby grows you can lower the levels to accommodate their and provide safety.

OTHER EXTRAS – Being in Sri Lanka, mosquitos can be a serious threat, with lot of the foreigh branded cots on the market, make sure they have the adequate facility to accommodate a mosquito net. Also I personally woyld recommend have a small swing crib for you newborn in the early months. You baby has been snugly warm in your womb for the last nine months and put him or her in a large airy cot is not going to make them comfortable. A small swing crib will replicate the womb enviroement and you can also swing your baby to sleep!

Happy crib hunting!

(By Mayuri Jayasinghe)