Baby’s and Toddlers, Safety Comes First - Continued

The high chair should be stable, not rocking back and forth when the child moves. Look for locking legs, legs that are not cracked or bent in any shape or form. You can find good used high chairs but you will have to be sure that the high chair is still in great working condition before purchasing it.

One final piece of furniture that I want to discuss with new parents and those who are purchasing new furniture for babies or small children are playpens. Playpens allow parents so much more freedom and mobility. You can put the baby down in the playpen out in the yard, in the living room or when you are out visiting in someone’s home. A playpen should be made of a small weave material so that fingers, heads, toes, and even arms cannot become entangled in the webbing of the playpen. 

If you are purchasing a play pen made of wood, be sure the slats are close enough together that the child’s head can’t fit through the slots in the sides of the play pen. If you are purchasing a mesh play pen, the siding should not have any cuts, slices or holes where the child could become entangled in the siding of the play pen and get hurt. 

Your children rely on your purchasing and buying decisions for a safe environment. Sometimes those few extra dollars that you are spending on a piece of furniture for the baby are all very well worth it in the end when your baby is safest!