The baby's nursery may be the most adorable room in the house, filled with cheery colors, ruffles and bows and welcoming smiles from plush animals. Nursery decorating can be lots of fun, but it also can be a bit daunting. With your main concern being safety, making sure you thought of everything can seem overwhelming. That's why we've created this easy-to-follow safety checklist. Keep it handy when decorating the new baby's room to help you select the furniture, baby proofing items and accessories.

"Make sure you select a crib that meets federal safety standards," says Jen Medearis Costello, program manager of the National SAFE KIDS Campaign.

Costello urges parents to be especially cautious of used cribs, especially those made before 1991 when federal safety standards were mandated. The following are the standards set by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC):

• Slats must be 2 3/8 inches (60 mm) apart or less.
• Check that there are no missing, loose, cracked or splintered slats.
• Make sure corner posts are 1/16 inch (1 1/2 mm) high or less, so Baby's clothing cannot get caught.
• Look to see there are no sharp or jagged edges.
• Check that screws or bolts holding crib parts together are tight and none are missing.
• Make sure the crib has no cutouts in the headboard or footboard where Baby's head can get caught.
• Drop-side latches need to be tight enough that a young child cannot release them.
• If a crib fails to meet any of these standards, don't use it. Instead, destroy it so no one else is in danger.

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