by Joyce Slaton posted in Products

Your baby's nursery is a pretty safe place -- the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) estimates that about 100 children age 5 and under die in incidents associated with (but not necessarily caused by) nursery products. That's a relatively minor number when compared to the 1,600 children aged under 15 who die in road crashes yearly, or the 350 children under 5 who drown each year in swimming pools, but an indescribable tragedy to the 100 families who lose someone right in their own home in a place they thought of as safe.
Some accidents, of course, are utterly unpredictable. But the CPSC has found that 6 types of products are the most dangerous -- cribs/mattresses, bassinets/cradles, playpens/play yards, infant carriers, baby baths/bathinettes/bath seats, and baby bouncers were together responsible for 88 percent of fatalities reported. Here's what goes wrong, and how you can keep your child safe.
Image by iStockCribs and mattresses
What happens: Responsible for approximately 36 deaths each year, cribs and mattresses are most dangerous when cluttered. Extra bedding, pillows, blankets, crib bumpers, and comforters can lead to infant asphyxiation. Faulty cribs -- with missing, broken, or nonfunctional parts, substandard repairs, or that aren't put together correctly -- are responsible for about 10 percent of deaths. These cribs are often older, secondhand, reassembled, and recalled. Hazards around the crib were the next most common ca...