Infants and Playpens
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by: waleska
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Word Count: 489
Date: Thu, 26 Aug 2010 Time: 9:30 PM
More than 2.5 million playpens, portable cribs, or play yards are sold annually.parents and caretakers use of playpens as a place for infants and toddlers to play and sleep or nap.
According to U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) July 2001, from 1988 to 2001, they have received reports of over 200 babies who died while in playpens. In almost 100 of these deaths, soft bedding or improper or extra mattresses were present in the playpen, causing children died of suffocation or SIDS.
Playpens were created with the intention to help parents and caretakers to keep the infants in a confining or a safe place to play Playpens or play yards can be a safe place to put babies when necessary.
In the last years, more information, campaigns and warnings about putting babies to sleep safely in cribs. The are passing information to warned parents and caretakers that soft bedding such as quilts, comforters, and pillows in cribs can be a risk factor for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
Playpens and play yards are like most other pieces of baby equipment. They should be used correctly and with common sense. When it comes to children safety comes first, here are some recommendations when using a playpen:
• Always put a infants under 12 months to sleep or nap on his or her back in a playpen with no soft bedding – like quilts, pillows, pillow-like toys, to prevent suffocation.
• Set up the playpen carefully before putting a child in it. Make sure the sides are locked into place. Check the manufacturer’s instructions or call the manufacturer for assistance. If the sides are not locked in place, children can strangle in the sloping, Vshaped spaces. Infants can suffocate if they roll into a pocket formed at the bottom of a mesh playpen side when the side is down.
• Use only the mattresses or padding provided by the manufacturer. Do not add additional mattresses in playpens. Children can suffocate in the spaces formed between mattresses.
• Check that the playpen is in good shape; make sure the mesh is less than ¼ inch in size.
•Make sure the mesh is securely attached to the top rail and floor plate and that the mesh does not have tears, holes, or loose threads. The top rail cover should have no tears or holes. If staples are used, they should not be missing, loose, or exposed.
• Do not use a playpen with “catch points,” such as protruding rivets.
Remove any strings or cords on children’s clothing or around their necks that could catch on the playpen.
• Before using a playpen, make sure it has not been part of a CPSC recall.
And always remember to follow the warning that comes in the playpen or play yard it, "Do Not Leave Child Unattended"
About the Author
Waleska Velez, Director and owner of Discovery Achievement Learning Center
