5 Steps to a Safe Nursery

1.Watch your windows.

When picking a spot for your crib, make sure it’s far from the window. Otherwise your baby could climb up to the window and fall through the screen. You should also install window guards, and buy cordless window coverings.

2. Always use your changing table’s safety harness—but don’t rely on it.

Babies can wiggle out of it and fall when you're not looking. Keep one hand on your baby at all times.

3. Keep toiletries out of reach.

Store baby lotion, alcohol-based hand gel, diaper cream, and other supplies in a drawer or on a shelf beyond your baby's reach. Ingesting personal-care products is a common form of poisoning in kids under age 6.

4. Create a safe sleep space.

As a precaution against SIDS, there should only be two things in your baby's crib: a firm, tight-fitting mattress and a crib sheet. Mirrors or heavy picture frames could seriously injure your baby if they fell. Avoid decorations with long strings, ribbons, or anything else that could pose a strangulation hazard, and don't hang anything directly over the crib.

5. Attach furniture to the wall.

Break out the drill to install a screw-mounted device into the wall to attach to book cases, dressers, and the changing table.