Safe Toys for the Church Nursery
 
 

'Round About the Church!

Nursery

 

    There’s been much in the news for the past few years about safe toys, baby furniture and equipment and while we need to pay close attention to this for our nursery ministries; nursery safety goes beyond the items in the nursery and encompasses everything about our nurseries. We’ll take a look at safety standards for toys and equipment and how to learn of safety recalls, but let’s begin with our nurseries themselves. We need to ask ourselves; what shape is our nursery in?

 

    Clearly many churches are not able to renovate old buildings or build new ones, but we all can be sure to take simple, basic steps to make our nurseries as clean, safe and inviting as possible! Grab some parents and nursery volunteers and ask yourselves the following questions!

  1. Are rooms brightly lit, windows clean and walls freshly painted with lead-free pain – no cracks/chips?
  2. Is there a sign-in security gate/table/counter where parents are able to provide important baby information and receive a security slip/form/ticket – which has to be turned in when they return?
  3. Is the nursery area open past the security check-in station so parents are able to see their child as volunteers care for him/her?
  4. Is the nursery clean?
  5. Do the toys, furniture and equipment look well cared for and safe?

 

    These are just some basic considerations; easy areas for any church to evaluate and make simple changes as necessary - a can or two of paint, bright light bulbs, weekly cleaning and basic security!

 

    Once you have considered these areas of nursery safety, take a closer look at your safety policies. Do you have written child safety and sick child policies? Be sure you have them posted on the wall and give a copy to parents and volunteers. Do you have a written volunteer standard and an application procedure for screening volunteers? I strongly recommend Reducing the Risk from Your Church as it provides all the information you need to screen volunteers and implement a safety policy in your children’s ministry!

 

    Now your room and policies are in order; it’s time to look at the toys, furniture and equipment in your nursery!

 

    The Consumer Product Safety Commission - http://www.cpsc.gov/ - and Consumer Reports - www.consumerreports.org - are two main web sites every nursery director needs to know to ascertain nursery safety. Follow the links on these sites to learn specific safety standards and find recalls. For example, do you know full-size cribs must have slats, spindles, corner posts and rods not more than 2 ½” apart? Have you measured your cribs to be sure they meet this standard? Check all your cribs and throw away any which don’t. If you have an infant swing with a wind-up feature, throw it away. Be sure all infant swings have at least a three-point safety harness and always use them. Check these sites to find safety standards for all items in your nursery. Make it part of your monthly nursery check to go on-line and see if anything in your nursery is on the monthly recall/alert list at – www.kidsindanger.org  Throw away any of your things you find on this list!

 

    We need to pay attention to safety alerts. Far too often nurseries are filled with cast off toys, furniture and equipment – items may be decades old; unfit and unsafe. Gather your volunteers and go through each toy and piece of furniture/equipment in your nursery. Throw away anything with rough edges or broken pieces. If you find toys with loose or small pieces and if you aren’t sure the toys in your nursery are lead free then throw them away! Check the following web sites for information on specific toys with safety issues – www.healthytoys.org   www.usa.safekids.org and the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s. Manufacturers provide lists of specific toys with lead paint and recalled items –  http://www.mattel.com/safety  http://www.hasbro.com/recall  http://store.manhattantoy.com/Recall   http://www.littletikes.com/recalls  - these are just a few - visit the web-site of the manufacturer of toys you have and look for a section called, “recalls”. Check lists against your toys and if you can’t verify the toys in your nursery are safe, throw them away!

  

    So, now your nursery is clean, inviting and you’ve determined if your furnishings/equipment/toys are safe. There are many items available for use in our nurseries – how do we make our choices? I had parents and nurseries from two churches – Sparta Baptist Church, Nursery Director Sylvia Longcore, and Northside Community Church, Nursery Director Jennifer Smith - help me review items for use in the nursery and will include their feedback as to what they really liked and found most helpful/useful! Let’s take a look at what types of toys, furniture and equipment are appropriate for our nurseries.

 

    Changing tables are an important piece of furniture in a nursery, but stability and durability are two very important considerations. Ask a builder in your church to build a sturdy cabinet for your changing station and top with a soft changing pad. Look for changing pads with washable surfaces, either vinyl or fabric and be sure they have safety straps to help keep baby in place throughout the changing. We reviewed Picci’s changing pad and found it to be soft and easy to clean! Disposable changing pads are must-haves for the nursery as they provide clean, dry, sanitary surfaces for each baby during diaper changes. Be sure your volunteers know to never leave a baby unattended on a changing table.

 

    Most nurseries today appreciate diaper containers like the Playtex Diaper Genie and the First Year’s Clean Air Odor-Free Diaper Disposal. My reviewers liked how they could use standard kitchen trash bags in the Clean Air system and appreciated the one hand operation these systems provide – once workers understood how to make them work; they considered them a must-have in the nursery! Look for diaper containers children can not get into and clean them each week with a bleach/water solution.

 

    Do you really need full-size cribs? How often do you use them? Cribs take up play space you could use if you do not have babies needing cribs. My reviewers found bassinet/playards from Evenflo, Combi and Safety 1st to be excellent options as they open in minutes providing cribs when needed and fold up compactly to store out of the way when not needed! Bassinet/playards are functional, easy to clean, attractive, portable and since they are large enough for a 30lb child they are well worth considering! Be sure the changing table component does not have any straps hanging into the play/sleeping portion!

 

    One more staple for nurseries you may not have though about are baby packs/slings. We reviewed Snugli Removable Sling/Pack, Playtex Hip Hammock, Munchkin Jellybean Sling and the Kolcraft Jeep Baby Carrier. Our reviewers found these allow workers to hold a baby needing to be held while freeing their hands to help with other children! Include these in your laundry for clean carriers each week! Be sure workers know how to keep baby securely fastened in holders.

 

    Swings and bouncers provide support and a safe place for tiny babies to relax. Bouncers allow you to keep babies in your sight, but not necessarily in your arms! We reviewed the Combi Pod Bouncer, Fisher Price Baby Papasan and Summer Infant Deluxe Soft Embrace Comfort Bouncer and found they accommodate children from birth to 25lbs. Seat covers are machine washable and have adjustable safety harnesses. Our reviewing churches found the vibrating features calm fussy babies and the portable size allows them to be moved around the nursery as needed. Always use the safety harness when a baby is in a bouncer!

 

    We reviewed swings from Fisher Price, Evenflo and Cosco and found the swings soothed babies who didn’t want to be held and were a good alternative for babies who want to be rocked to sleep on weeks when the nursery is full! Always use safety harnesses when a baby is in a swing and remember, swings and bouncers do not substitute for adult supervision! Be sure your volunteers stay near to keep a watchful eye on babies at all times!

 

    Play stations for older babies are an excellent addition to the nursery! Evenflo’s Exersaucer, Bright Starts Baby’s Playplace and Around We Go Activity Station provide easy to clean adaptable play environments with music, colors and activities! Our reviewing parents and nurseries loved these play stations and found them easy to clean, entertaining and educational! Always provide adult supervision when a child is in a play-station!

 

    Baby monitors allow workers to keep close tabs on children in a separate room – a must have for church nurseries! We reviewed the Summer Infant Secure Sounds digital monitor and Philips Avent DETC digital monitor.

 

    Children often drop pacifiers, bottles and sippy cups. A countertop electronic sterilizer allows you to quickly and safely sterilize these items before returning them back to children! Bottle warmers allow you to safely warm bottles with no hot spots! We reviewed Philips iQ Electronic Sterilizer and the First Years Night & Day Bottle Warmer. Always keep out of children’s reach and only allow adults to use these.

 

    Depending on the layout of your nursery, safety gates are important pieces of equipment. We reviewed the First Year’s Simple & Secure stair gate and KidCo’s Center Gateway. Easy for adults to open, young children will not be able to open these gates providing a level of security and safety in your nursery!

 

    Be sure to stop and consider safety items such as corner protectors, magnet locks and universal outlet covers. I particularly like the safety items from KidCo – soft rubber protectors and outlet covers, rather than plugs. KidCo’s magnet locks will not be opened by children and make great additions to nursery cabinets!

 

    What would a nursery be without toys? We had the opportunity to review a number of toys. One primary consideration when it comes to toys is to follow the age range each toy is rated for. Do not put toys in your nursery for older children. Each toy is marked for the appropriate ages it is designed for – follow these age ratings closely!

 

Consider some of the following toys –

 

Sassy Baby –


Fisher Price – Little People Play sets


Manhattan Baby/Manhattan Toy –


Playskool –


Little Tikes –


Step 2 –


PlayHut –




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Copyright © Lynda Freeman
Last Updated March 8, 2009
Web Page by Lynda Freeman
Send an e-mail to Lynda at LyndaFreeman@roundaboutthechurch.com