When most parents start thinking about how to prepare a room for a mobile baby, we think about how to make it safe for her. We make sure to cover all electrical outlets, keep window curtain or blind cords well out of reach, hide all electrical cords behind furniture or in hide-a-cord containers, lock up drawers and cabinets, install door stoppers, pad hard edges on furniture, and all of the other things on our babyproofing checklist.

Then after every checkbox has been ticked, we get down on our hands and knees and explore the room to see it from a baby’s point of view, in case we missed any other potential hazards. Then at last, we breathe a sigh of relief, knowing we’ve provided the safest environment possible for our little ones.

The room is baby-proof, but is it baby-friendly?

Baby-proof vs Baby-friendly

Baby-proof means creating a safe environment that keeps your baby out of danger. Baby-friendly means creating an environment that allows your baby to play, explore and discover on her own within the limits of a safe environment.

Making a room baby-proof is all about saying no while making a room baby-friendly is all about saying yes.

They might seem mutually exclusive on the surface, but they’re not.

How to Make Your Baby’s Room Baby-friendly

While you’re crawling around on all fours in that last step of baby-proofing, take that opportunity to really think about how your baby is going to use that room now that she’s on the move. Yes, your baby is the one using the room, not you!

Floor bed
Having a floor bed instead of a crib allows your baby to crawl in and out of bed independently. After your baby has learned to fall asleep on her own and has associated sleep with her floor bed, she’ll be able to crawl into bed when she needs to sleep, and crawl out of it and explore her safe environment or play with a toy when she’s no longer tired.

The mattress should be placed on the floor in a corner of the room, following the usual safety precautions as a crib:

• Choose a firm mattress, not a soft one. Read related article: How to Choose a Floor Bed Mattress
• Don’t put pillows, comforters or sheepskins on the mattress.
• Use only a fitted bottom sheet.

The mattress should be pushed right up against the two walls in a corner of the room. Try the “two fingers” test: if you can fit two fingers between the mattress and wall, it’s not safe to use.

Additionally, place a rug with a plush anti-slip pad underneath the floor bed to prevent it from moving around and to provide the baby with a cushioned landing in case she rolls off. For the same reasons you shouldn’t use pillows in a crib, don’t use pillows or pillowy surfaces around the floor bed.

Lastly, install a safety gate at the door. A baby-friendly room is a safe place for your baby to explore and play within limits.

Art
Picture frames and wall art visually stimulate your baby, so make sure you hang them at her eye-level. Hanging them at an adult’s eye level would be missing the point of having the artwork there at all.

Since the artwork will be within your baby’s reach, there are a few extra precautions to take:

• Remove glass from picture frames or use acrylic frames.
• Secure the frames by screwing them into the wall.

Books and Toys
Display age-appropriate toys and books in low, sturdy shelves where your baby can access them instead of a toy box where she will have to dig for them.

It’s a good idea to display just a few toys at a time and put the others away in a closet. Rotating toys will help keep them interesting for your baby.

As in any part of your home, make sure to cover any sharp corners on shelves.

This article originally appeared on Bedstart - A resource for baby-friendly nurseries that foster exploration and learning from infancy.

Your child will be using the mattress until she’s about three years old, so pick a high quality mattress that will allow her to sleep safely.

Support

Support is probably the most important feature to consider when choosing a floor bed mattress for your baby.

Babies need a mattress with firm support to reduce the risk of suffocation and SIDS, so it’s best to use a crib (or cot) mattress which is designed specifically for infant use. Softer mattresses seem like a good choice from our perspective since we typically prefer a little more cushioning as adults, but a baby needs a firmer surface since she isn’t able to turn her head if she flips face down onto the mattress.

To test for firmness, place the mattress edge under your arms and put your weight on it. If the mattress curves into a bow, it’s not dense enough for your baby to sleep on.

Size

A standard sized crib mattress is the best choice not only because they already have the required firmness babies need, but they also aren’t very thick. Crib mattresses measure between four and six inches, so any rolls off of the floor bed won’t cause any serious injury to your baby.

However, some parents might choose a twin or full mattress because it just makes more sense to them economically. Where a crib mattress is only used up until the child is around three years old, a twin or full mattress will last them well into adolescence.

Other parents choose a twin or full mattress over a crib mattress because their baby might be a more active sleeper and needs more space to wiggle around.

It boils down to a matter of preference. Whatever size you choose for the mattress, try to find one that is not too thick so that the baby can easily climb in and out of bed and more importantly, so that any rolls or falls aren’t dangerous.

Foam, Coil or Organic?

Foam mattresses

Foam mattresses are usually less expensive and lighter than coil mattresses. Foam mattresses are easier to lift when it comes time to change the sheets but might move around the floor more if it isn’t placed in the corner of a room or on a non-skid rug or carpet.

To determine the quality of a foam mattress, check its density and resiliency. The heavier the foam mattress is, the denser it is, which makes it better as it provides the best support for your baby. A high quality foam mattress will regain its shape quickly after weight is removed from it.

A word about memory foam
Foam mattresses made with memory foam (also referred to as “visco-elastic”) should never be used with infants. Manufacturers caution about leaving babies and small children unattended on a memory foam mattress, which contours to the body and rebounds slowly when weight is applied, as they may find it more difficult to turn and rotate and may suffocate.

Coil mattresses

Coil mattresses are heavier (weighing between 10 and 15 lbs), more expensive and more durable than foam mattresses. Durability is probably of little importance unless you’re planning on purchasing a twin or full size mattress that is going to be used for longer than three years.

For coil mattresses, check that number of coils is upwards of 150. Generally, more coils means a firmer mattress.

Organic mattresses

Organic mattresses are made with all-natural materials, usually cotton or wool. The main advantage of this type of mattress is that it is free from any chemicals that might emit toxic gases like flame retardants and vinyl. You can be sure that your baby won’t inhale any dangerous chemical fumes while sleeping.

Conclusion

No matter what size and type mattress you buy, make sure that it is a firm one that doesn’t use memory foam and that it isn’t too thick that that any rolls or falls off of it aren’t dangerous.

This article originally appeared on Bedstart - A resource for baby-friendly nurseries that foster exploration and learning from infancy.

We are thrilled to announce the launch of our new website! To celebrate, we’re giving away four of these adorable finger puppet books from Sara Gillingham’s “In My…” series . Each book has bright pictures, reassuring messages, unique layered pages and an adorable felt finger puppet attached to each book combine to create interactive reading and playtime fun!

Submit a photo and a short description of your baby-friendly nursery and you can win four of these cute board books for your adorable design.

Send in your submission before May 1st for a chance to win!

Please read the Contest Rules before you participate. Please note that Bedstart may publish the photos elsewhere on the site or on Bedstart’s social media network pages (Facebook, Pinterest, etc.).

Contest is open to residents in the US, Canada and the UK. The winner will be chosen randomly.

Last date to post an entry is May 31, 2012.

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This article originally appeared on Bedstart - A resource for baby-friendly nurseries that foster exploration and learning from infancy.