Safety first

Now that we're at the half way mark - with less than 20 weeks to go and an almost clean slate in the nursery - it's definitely time to get a little more serious about shopping. Not for clothes. We've got a good head start on that. Instead, we have to research and locate the items that will help us best care for Baby S upon arrival.

The first and most critical accessory is a car seat, since the hospital won't let you leave with the baby unless you have one. We'll also be seeking a sleeping solution for her until she moves to the nursery for overnights.

One of the other important purchases is the beloved crib, the sleeping sanctuary that must be extremely sturdy, safe and of course cute. Yesterday, after a lunch meeting, I stopped by a local baby product's supplier and almost instantly fell in love with a crib we had not seen during prior visits.

Wanna see it?

 



 


Okay. It's a good looking piece of furniture, right? Trust me when I tell you that it is also super solid. In fact, I've never seen a crib with wood so thick. This one also converts to a toddler and then full size bed.

There's one major sticking point. A little Googling fetched a link to the Consumer Product Safety Commission's website (red flag) and a quick read revealed the crib, manufactured by Baby Appleseed, had been recalled in August 2008 due to a 'fall hazard' inherent in the product. (sigh)

I checked Baby Appleseed's site and their 'press room' mentioned nothing about it. In fact, there were only two publicly released statements from 2007 and one from Feb. 2008. The latter announced the company had worked hard to qualify for JPMA standards... This crib sells for $650 in stores today, yet so far I haven't been able to locate a single admission from the company that there had been a problem, nor a confirmation that the safety issues have been fully rectified.

Needless to say, this crib is no longer on the list. I realize this is just the beginning of making sure our babe is safe. Wow! What an awesome responsibility.

UPDATE: We learned that the cribs in question were manufactured prior to 2008. The distributor told me that they don't even sell cribs older than four months, so their current inventory was built last fall. I was very glad to hear this as I am in love with this crib. :-D