How safe is your child’s room?
It is very important to furnish a child’s room carefully.
Baby furniture should meet a range of requirements which should be first of all safe, secure and multifunctional. Here’s a checklist of the things that your child’s nursery should have:
* Cribs that meet all safety standards
* Firm, tight-fitting crib mattresses
* Crib sheets
* Swings or bouncy seats
Changing table at adult height with wipeable changing surface. You should never use changing surfaces made of cloth because they are a breeding ground for germs.
* Age-appropriate toys
* Rockers or gliders
* High chairs
* Disinfecting and non-toxic cleaning solution and paper towel.
* Tissues and baby wipes
* First aid kit
* Baby gates
Other extra items needed are:
* Refrigerator to store juice/milk
* Bottle warmer
* Wipe warmer
* Extra diapers and wipes
Avoid placing any objects which are not wipeable. Baby walkers are not considered safe anymore. Toys with porous surfaces made of cardboard or cloth should be avoided. Anything with protruding screws, bolts or nails should be avoided.
Synthetic fabrics are often made of or even treated with harsh chemicals to help ensure they don’t shrink or wrinkle. We certainly want to avoid putting these chemicals against our baby’s skin. It is advisable to use organic diapers which are made from natural sources such. You definitely won’t want to inhale toxins and chemicals during pregnancy and would not want your baby’s nursery have toxin paints. There are many paints available today which com with a zero VOC formula (volatile organic compounds). Most of these paints are water based and are virtually odour-less.
Go natural
Parents are choosing to install hardwood or floor surfaces similar to it in the nursery rather than carpeting, which not only holds dust, mites and other allergens, but is often made of synthetic fibres which contain chemicals linked to a rise in childhood asthma. If you however, love the warmth and softness of carpeting for your baby’s knees, opt for natural materials.
Natural fibres such as wool and jute are healthier carpeting options. Bamboo is a very popular choice in surface flooring today. Cork is a beautiful option for your nursery flooring and it is practical in many ways. It is naturally anti-allergic and provides excellent insulation, making it warmer than traditional hardwood flooring.
When designing a nursery room, keep the amount of light and noise in mind. It is easier to create the right environment in a quieter room that does not face the street and gets little direct sunlight.
Fresh air, protection from moisture, mold and allergens and proper light and noise levels should be the design priorities. Ventilation is very important for the children’s room. It is recommended to use a ceiling fan to move air through the nursery and an exhaust fan to move air out of the room.
It is advisable to use blinds or louvres as window treatments because they shut out more light and noise. They are also easy to clean.
Do not use fabric curtains as they attract more dust, making them harder to clean and more likely to affect air quality. Children’s hearing may be damaged by prolonged exposure to sounds.
Avoid a telephone in the nursery. Limit the number of appliances in the nursery. Keep electrical appliances and cords as far from the child’s crib as possible; keep the baby monitor at its farthest effective range from the child and choose a room for the nursery that does not have an electrical service panel on the walls. The nursery can get dirty quickly. Dust, allergens and other particles can accumulate on surfaces. The air can get stuffy and wet clothes and surfaces can breed mold. Your child’s first ventures out of this area will likely involve crawling and playing on the floor and putting objects in his or her mouth. To reduce dirt and pollutants entering your home, leave shoes out of the door.
Use non-toxic surface cleaners as often as necessary.
Open the windows at least twice a day for 15 minutes to help flush out stuffy air. Do not use spray deodorisers to mask smells.
Safety measures
As a general rule, the things you need to take care when you choose a crib are any signs of lead-based paint and crib railing bars which are too far apart to be safe.
Safety standards state that the distance between crib bars should be no further apart than 2 3/8 inches. This minimum standard was put in place to protect babies from injury that could result if their head or limbs getting stuck between wider spaced bars.
Changing tables should have a strap for stability. Furniture items should be securely fastened to the wall to prevent them falling over onto the baby if they pull themselves up on the shelves.
Design elements
Baby room furniture should complement the overall decorating scheme of the nursery. But it should fit comfortably in the room. The furniture pieces should be cozy and baby friendly. The design can be modern or traditional.
Funky, hand-painted and appealing furniture will make your baby cheerful throughout the day. Choose colours for your baby’s room that will delight both you and your child. You could choose shades of white, green or orange or go traditional with shades of blue and pink. Try to choose a style for the baby room that matches the rest of your home.
(The writer is an interior designer.)
