You saw those two pink lines and your brain is going a million miles per hour thinking about all the things that need to happen before your sweet little baby makes their debut.

And, for many expecting mothers, the nursery is top-of-mind. Amiright?!

Sure, go ahead and find a soothing color palette and some fun patterns, but as a seasoned mom of two, pediatric urgent care nurse, and certified sleep consultant, I want you to focus primarily on how safe will my child be in this space?

They’ll probably start out sleeping in the same room as you – maybe even for the first 6 months! But, eventually, they’ll be in their room all on their own at night, sleeping like a baby.

Whether you’re in the same room or not, it’s your job to ensure they are safe.

This post has been one I’ve been thinking about A LOT lately. We live in beautiful California where earthquakes are bound to happen. A major earthquake – much like the 1994 Northridge Earthquake that traumatized me as a child – can be expected to happen about every 25 years.

If you do the math…we are due.

I also see injuries coming into the pediatric urgent care where I work that are related to a lack of understanding of how to keep a child safe when in their bedroom unsupervised. And, the hardest part is, many of these things are totally preventable with a little background knowledge and education!

So, that’s what I’m doing today: providing a little education on how to keep your children safe in their nurseries and bedrooms.

Keep cords and decor out of reach.

If you’re moving your baby into their own room and crib around 6 months, you’ll want to make sure the crib mattress is already at the lowest setting. Once your little one can sit, before you know it they’ll be pulling to stand.

Because their head weighs roughly ¼ – ⅓ of their body weight, it’s common for them to fall head first, simply because of their anatomy. Dropping the crib mattress by the time they’re sitting will ensure that the first time they try to stand in the crib isn’t also the first time they fall out. My goal with this post is to make sure this NEVER happens!

Standing in the crib also offers a whole other world of exploration for your baby – it’s a totally new perspective! And one that many babies are curious to learn more about. Keep cords, shelving, mirrors, and other decor out of reach from the crib so they don’t accidentally pull something down on themselves.

Anchor furniture and keep it away from the door.

All furniture in your child’s room – and throughout the house, should be securely anchored in place.

One thing you’ll want to think about…if an earthquake were to happen, where would this piece of furniture land? Where would that item fall?

Make sure nothing would fall in a path between you and your child, and make sure nothing would block a doorway. You’d want to be able to get to your little one quickly and safely should this ever happen.

This is important to do regardless if you live in an earthquake prone area or not. Kiddos love to climb on anything and everything they can. Making sure to anchor all furniture and TVs will help ensure that they don’t fall over on your child.

Take a minimalist approach to toys and clutter in the bedroom.

Not only will having fewer toys in the bedroom help with sleep (less stimulating and less enticing to play with when your little one should be sleeping!), but it will also help keep your child safer.

Fewer toys = less shelving and furniture = less to potentially fall on them!

In this case, less is more.

Keep your child contained – in the crib or in their room if in an open bed.

Okay, this one might rub a lot of parents the wrong way, but I’ve seen way too many broken bones at the urgent care I work at from unsupervised children roaming their houses at night. I’m a firm believer in locking doors for safety.

And your argument might be, “What about a house fire at night??”

The chances of a house fire happening are much less than a child getting injured or getting out of the house at night because the parents are sleeping in another room and don’t hear them. Think of everything they’d have access to if they got out of their bedroom in the middle of the night! Open sockets, things to climb, knives…much scarier than the low chance of a house fire in my opinion.

If you’re not comfortable locking the door, simply start by making it a habit to close the door every night. It will become the norm and your child most likely won’t think twice about it. But, if they’re prone to escaping, you’ll want to keep them in by locking it.

Other options would be to use a toddler handle on their side of the door or something like a Door Monkey. Baby gates can work great too!

Speaking of being able to get out of their rooms…when should you move your child to an open bed??

I recommend waiting until around age 3. Any younger than that and you may find yourself in the above situation. Wait until they have the self-regulation skills to actually stay in their bed all night long and it won’t be a battle.

Once you do move them to a toddler bed, make sure you have a side rail on it. And, if you have bunk beds, make sure there is a railing on the top bunk especially. If bunk beds are a must, see if there is a set that is lower to the ground. Again, broken bones.

I know I just threw a lot at you, and it can feel overwhelming. Anxiety-inducing, even. But having these pieces in place should help reduce that anxiety, knowing that your child can sleep safely and soundly.

Want more? Work with us at Safe and Sound Parenting!