All About Children's Furniture Safety

Safety is our top priority at Casa Kids. We design and build our pieces to not only comply with guidelines listed by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) but to exceed them. Our finishes are water-based, non-toxic, and safe for toys. The surfaces of our plywood are rolled with an acrylic based coating, it is UV cured and have no VOC’s (volatile organic compounds). The edges are hand-brushed with a natural wax oil that provides a smooth finish.

To maintain the safety of your furniture please remember to tighten the screws yearly. We like to do this at the same time as kids return to school; it's an easy way to remember.

Crib Safety

Cribs can pose a risk to babies when designed improperly leading to suffocation or other injuries. To avoid injury by law cribs must abide by the following regulations:

• Slats, spindles, or other openings on any side of the crib cannot be larger than 2 3/8 inches. This prevents babies from fitting through the slats. Make sure there are no missing or cracked slats on your crib!
• Crib mattresses cannot exceed over 6 inches in thickness. Tightly fitting mattresses are safer as they reduce the possibility that babies can become trapped on any side.
• Cribs cannot have any sliding rails. Old cribs had drop down rails to make it easier getting the baby in and out but those were deemed unsafe and are not allowed.
• When the crib mattress support is at its highest position, the top of the rail to the mattress support must be at least 15 inches. The top of the rail to the top of the mattress must be at least 9 inches.
• When the crib mattress support is at its lowest position, the top of the rail to the top of the mattress must be at least 26 inches.
• Your crib must be appropriately and clearly labeled with CPSC warnings. 
• Finishes must be non-toxic. All of our finishes are formaldehyde-free, water-based, and have no VOCs. 
• Corner posts on a crib cannot exceed over 0.06 inches. Corner posts pose a risk of baby's clothing getting snagged. 
• Keep away from curtains, etc.
• If the crib has wheels, make sure they have brakes.

Additional ways to keep your baby safe and prevent suffocation in their crib is to avoid using any bedding in the crib (no pillows, quilts, or comforters). Only use a fitted sheet that snuggly wraps around the mattress. Don't let your baby sleep with any stuffed animal in their bed or toys. Finally, make sure not to drape any clothing or fabric over a rail as they can fall into the crib.

Bunk Bed, Loft Bed, or Elevated Bed Safety 

A bunk bed is defined as a bed whose mattress support is over 30 inches from the floor. A loft bed is an elevated bed with open space underneath and the same rules apply for them. All elevated beds (bunk beds and loft beds) are only to be used for children age 6 and up. Bunk beds can be configured with either stairs or a ladder, we always recommend stairs if space can accommodate. Stairs are easier for children to navigate rather than a ladder, and we can even add carpet to stairs to ensure they are non slip.

Storage drawers within stairs always have cutouts that allow the drawer face to remain flat instead of protruding pulls that can make them trip or catch on their clothes. Our ladders feature large cut-outs that are easy to grip for climbing. We recommend adding a nightlight in the room so if your child on the top bunk needs to get up in the middle of the night they can more easily navigate the ladder or stairs.

Most injuries result from children playing, jumping, leaning over or walking on a bunk bed. Rules forbidding play on elevated beds should be discussed with children to avoid injury.

Shelves above an elevated bed should be avoided as it can encourage standing on the bed. If you do add a shelf, make sure it is shallow and places away from their head.

All elevated bed must abide by the following guidelines as stated by CSPC 16 CRF Parts 1213, 1500, and 1513:

• On upper bunk beds or loft beds, the top of the rail to the top of the mattress must have a least 5 inches of clearance. Make sure your mattress does not go over the manufacturer's maximum mattress thickness guideline (most limit mattress thickness to 7-8 inches). For any Casa Kids elevated bed, the mattress cannot be thicker than 8 inches.
• Each bunk bed must have two guardrails that go across to the end structure of the bed. The rail that is placed beside a wall must be continuous with no openings, while the rail opposite may have up to a 15-inch opening on either end of the rail. 
• Gaps within the rails cannot be larger than 2 1/4 inches to ensure the child does not fall out.
• Elevated beds must be labeled with the model number, manufacturer, and warnings.

Dresser & Bookshelf Safety

Furniture tip-over can occur when children are playing, climbing, or fall against dressers and other cabinets. The common accident happens when kids open all the drawers of a dresser and it tips forward. While it is important to teach our children to not climb the furniture or ask for help when reaching for something, we take precautions to prevent injury and possible death. All dresses, bookshelves, or other storage units should be anchored to a wall, preventing the furniture from falling onto the child.

CPCS reports an estimated 27,100 furniture tip-over related injuries annually and about 46% of those injured are children under 18. Most at risk are younger children under 6.