How to Make Sure Baby’s Changing Table is Safe

Changing tables are a handy place to dress and diaper baby in the early months! However, they are on a high surface, which means extra safety considerations need to be made! No matter how closely you keep an eye on baby, it’s important that they have these safety features on your changing table. How long should you use baby’s changing table for? What is the best way to keep them safe? Find out with the tips below!

The changing table should be sturdy and stable.

Because you’ll be moving baby around on this table, you want to make sure there is no way it would tip over. If the changing table is foldable this is especially important!

There should be a 2 inch, or 5 centimeter guardrail on all four sides of the table.

Because baby is high up, it’s very important they don’t fall off the table. This short guardrail makes a huge difference! Make sure it’s on every side, because every side should be protected.

The changing pad should be concave.

This means that the middle of the pad is slightly lower than the sides. Why is this important? It helps to prevent baby from rolling out, because they would need to roll up an incline to roll off of the table.

Use the safety strap, but never leave baby unattended.

The safety strap is very helpful in making sure baby won’t roll off the table, but you never know if your little one will find a way to wiggle out of it! So even with the safety strap on, always have one hand on baby. Never leave them alone on the changing table.

Keep all diaper supplies within your reach.

It’s best to come to the changing table prepared! When getting ready to change baby, bring all supplies within your reach so you don’t need to turn your back or leave the room, leaving baby alone on the table. There are storage devices that can help with this! It’s also important to keep all of the supplies out of your child’s reach when storing them.

Stop using the changing table when baby reaches the age or weight limit that the manufacturer recommends.

This is usually when a child reaches 2 years old or 30 pounds, but check out your table to find out what they recommend. Once your child gets bigger, you can transition to changing diapers on the floor. You can lay a pad or blanket down and have a diaper bag nearby with the supplies ready at hand.

Once baby can move around independently, make sure it is attached to the wall.

When baby starts moving on their own, they’ll pull on furniture to try and stand up. To keep them safe, it’s best to secure the furniture to the wall so there’s no risk of it falling on them.

Learn more about baby’s development every day.

Download the FREE Pathways.org Baby Milestones App!