Decorating the nursery is perhaps one of the many fun things you can do while waiting for your little one to arrive. There are so many ideas you can turn to for inspiration when creating a safe and cozy place for the baby. The internet is filled with amazingly creative nursery decor ideas and you don’t even have to spend a lot of money to achieve the room of your dreams.
However, beautiful decor and budget are not the only things to consider when decorating the nursery. First and foremost, parents are concerned about the safety and health of their children. That is why Natart products always meet safety regulations and quite often exceed most requirements. From non-toxic materials to manufacturing techniques, we make sure that our products are safe for children.
Entrapment issues on cribs
Cribs and dressers are the biggest furniture pieces in a nursery and as such need to be safe for babies. Your children will spend most of their time in the crib sleeping and playing. So there should be no hazards to threaten their health.
Over the years the Canadian Consumer Product Safety Act has passed several regulations that manufacturers need to follow for compliance. A new revision to the Statutory Orders and Regulations (SOR) 2016-152 was introduced on January 20, 2022. This particular modification deals with entrapment issues on decorative posts as well as the headboard and footboard of cribs.
At the time of testing, the vast majority of cribs on the market did not meet the required standard. At Natart, we always strive to exceed safety regulations and so we have redesigned all of our cribs to be compliant with the new law. We are proud and happy to say that all cribs across the Natart, Nest, and Tulip brands are fully compliant with the amendment.
Entrapment testing
What does the new law mean for cribs? It means that it’s not just the decorative posts that manufacturers have to be concerned about. The headboard and footboard of the crib should also pass the testing standard. In fact, any protrusion above the mattress support should pass the test.
Testing involves a simple instrument with a loop that is placed on a corner of the headboard and footboard. If the loop does not catch on any protrusion and slides off easily, it passes the test. If the loop hooks on to any protrusion, then it fails. It’s a simple snag test undertaken at different angles to ensure there is no safety risk to a baby inside the crib.
If a crib passes the simple snag test, it means there is less chance of your child falling prey to the risk of suffocation, entrapment, or strangulation. After all, your baby will spend a lot of time in the crib without an adult to constantly keep watch over them.
Enforcing safety standards
Given the pandemic that swept across the world over the last 2 years, Health Canada was prevented from strictly enforcing the law. However, it is expected that they will vigorously enforce the safety standards this year. Enforcement means ensuring ‘Responsible Persons’ including manufacturers and resellers are complying with the regulations.
This new law is logical and necessary to ensure the safety of babies and toddlers. Hence we expect it won’t be long before similar provisions are passed by CPSC and JPMA in the United States as well.
What does this mean for your nursery?
Similar to other safety issues over the last decade, this new provision is aimed at reducing the risk of accidents in the nursery. Just as dressers need to pass stringent safety measures to prevent tip-over incidents, cribs will also need to pass these new requirements.
Before purchasing any new furniture for the nursery, it’s crucial to review the safety standards and requirements in effect. Make sure you look for brands that adhere to or exceed safety requirements. It may be tempting to go by the salesperson’s assurances but it’s important to do your research and decide what to buy accordingly.
Another aspect to keep in mind is that these furniture pieces should be assembled according to the instructions in the manual. Skipping a step or two might not seem like much but it could affect the integrity of the piece itself. For example, you should make sure that the area where you place the crib or dresser is level so there is less chance of tipping over. You may need to move stuff around to minimize the chance of any accidents.
Since all the cribs in the Natart, Nest, and Tulip range are fully compliant with the new law, you don’t have to worry about accidents. Rest assured that the health and safety of your children are our top priority.
