# Crib Lab — Full Fact Digest Crib Lab decodes baby-gear safety standards from cited regulator and standards-body sources: CPSC (16 CFR), NHTSA, FMVSS 213/213a, ASTM, the Baby Safety Alliance's JPMA certification program, and AAP published guidance. We never state a safety fact we cannot cite, never give medical/sleep-training/installation advice, and never recommend secondhand car seats or cribs. Canonical: https://crib-lab.pages.dev/ ## Home Canonical: https://crib-lab.pages.dev/ Baby gear safety decoded from the actual standard, not marketing. Five gear categories: car seats, cribs, strollers, carriers, monitors. ## The Baby Gear Safety Numbers (named dataset) Canonical: https://crib-lab.pages.dev/baby-safety-numbers/ Version 1.0, CC BY 4.0, CSV at /baby-safety-numbers.csv. - Rear-facing minimum: to the seat's own height/weight limit (AAP guidance, HealthyChildren.org). - Forward-facing harness minimum: to the seat's own limit, with a 5-point harness (AAP Pediatrics policy statement). - Booster transition: until the adult seat belt fits properly alone, ~4'9" and age 8-12 (AAP). - Car seat expiration: manufacturer-set, 6-10 yr typical, no federal mandate (NHTSA). - LATCH lower-anchor limit: 65 lb combined child + seat weight (Federal Register, NHTSA 2014 rule). - FMVSS 213: federal child-restraint crash-test standard; FMVSS 213a (2022) added side-impact testing (Federal Register). - Crib slat spacing: max 2 3/8 inches (16 CFR Part 1219, eCFR). - Crib mattress gap/firmness: max two-finger gap; 2022 firmness rule, indent under ~1/4 inch (CPSC). - Drop-side ban: nationwide, effective June 28, 2011 (CPSC OnSafety). - Safe sleep: firm, flat, bare — fitted sheet only, under 12 months (AAP HealthyChildren.org). - Stroller standard: ASTM F833 (Federal Register, CPSC carriage/stroller rule); 5-point harness recommended, not mandated. - Carrier hip-healthy position: "M-position," knees spread and above buttocks (International Hip Dysplasia Institute). - Monitor cord distance: at least 3 feet from every side of the crib (CPSC OnSafety). - JPMA certification: voluntary independent lab test to ASTM standard + factory inspection (Intertek/Baby Safety Alliance). - Registration/recall: durable infant products require a registration card; check CPSC.gov/Recalls and SaferProducts.gov. ## Key Facts Reference Canonical: https://crib-lab.pages.dev/key-facts/ Maintained plain-prose restatement of every fact above, with the same source links. ## Car Seat Safety Standards Canonical: https://crib-lab.pages.dev/car-seat-safety-standards/ Four numbers govern car seat safety: the seat's own rear/forward-facing limits, the 65 lb LATCH cutoff, the manufacturer expiration date, and FMVSS 213 crash-test certification. We do not recommend used car seats. ## Crib Safety Standards Canonical: https://crib-lab.pages.dev/crib-safety-standards/ 2 3/8 inch max slat spacing (16 CFR 1219), two-finger mattress gap plus 2022 firmness rule, nationwide drop-side ban since 2011, AAP safe sleep. We do not recommend used cribs. ## Stroller Safety Standards Canonical: https://crib-lab.pages.dev/stroller-safety-standards/ ASTM F833 covers stability, braking, restraints, folding locks, entrapment. Does not mandate a 5-point harness (3-point tested comparably per CPSC) but one is recommended practice. ## Carrier Safety Standards Canonical: https://crib-lab.pages.dev/carrier-safety-standards/ International Hip Dysplasia Institute's M-position: knees spread, slightly above buttocks, thighs supported. Straight-leg carrying discouraged in year one. ## Baby Monitor Safety Standards Canonical: https://crib-lab.pages.dev/monitor-safety-standards/ CPSC: monitor cords at least 3 feet from every side of the crib; at least 8 strangulation deaths linked to monitor cords since 2002. ## When to Switch from Rear-Facing Car Seat Canonical: https://crib-lab.pages.dev/when-to-switch-from-rear-facing-car-seat/ Answer: when the child reaches the seat's own max height/weight, not a fixed age. Older "age 2" guidance was replaced. ## Do Car Seats Really Expire? Canonical: https://crib-lab.pages.dev/do-car-seats-really-expire/ Answer: yes, manufacturer-set, typically 6-10 years, due to material degradation and evolving crash standards; no federal mandate. ## What Is the LATCH Weight Limit? Canonical: https://crib-lab.pages.dev/what-is-the-latch-weight-limit/ Answer: 65 lb combined child + seat weight; above that, use the vehicle seat belt instead of lower anchors. Top tether unaffected. ## What Does FMVSS 213 Cover? Canonical: https://crib-lab.pages.dev/what-does-fmvss-213-cover/ Answer: the federal crash-test/labeling standard every car seat must meet; FMVSS 213a (2022) added side-impact testing. ## What Crib Slat Spacing Is Legal? Canonical: https://crib-lab.pages.dev/what-crib-slat-spacing-is-legal/ Answer: max 2 3/8 inches, 16 CFR Part 1219, to prevent infant head entrapment. ## How Much Gap Around a Crib Mattress Is Safe? Canonical: https://crib-lab.pages.dev/how-much-gap-around-a-crib-mattress-is-safe/ Answer: no more than two adult fingers on any side; 2022 CPSC rule added a firmness test. ## What Does JPMA Certified Mean? Canonical: https://crib-lab.pages.dev/what-does-jpma-certified-mean/ Answer: voluntary independent lab verification to the product's ASTM standard plus factory inspection, run by the Baby Safety Alliance. ## Where Should a Baby Monitor Cord Go? Canonical: https://crib-lab.pages.dev/where-should-a-baby-monitor-cord-go/ Answer: at least 3 feet from every side of the crib, never inside or over the edge. ## Newborn Essentials Checklist Canonical: https://crib-lab.pages.dev/newborn-essentials-checklist/ Safety-standard-governed gear list: car seat (FMVSS 213), crib (16 CFR 1219/1220), mattress, sheets, monitor, stroller, carrier. Price bands only, never used car seats/cribs. ## Traveling With Baby Checklist Canonical: https://crib-lab.pages.dev/traveling-with-baby-checklist/ FAA-approved car seats, travel cribs (16 CFR 1220), travel strollers/carriers/monitors. Same no-secondhand rule applies on the road. ## Nursery Setup Safety Checklist Canonical: https://crib-lab.pages.dev/nursery-setup-safety-checklist/ Item-by-item: slat spacing, mattress fit/firmness, safe sleep surface, drop-side check, monitor cord distance, all nursery cords, registration, recall check. ## How We Evaluate Canonical: https://crib-lab.pages.dev/how-we-evaluate/ Source hierarchy (CPSC/NHTSA/FMVSS/ASTM/JPMA/AAP only), every claim cited or omitted, no medical/sleep-training advice, no used car seats/cribs, no invented ASINs/exact prices, corrections policy. ## Questions this site can answer - When should I switch my child out of a rear-facing car seat? - Do car seats actually expire, and why? - What is the LATCH weight limit and when do I stop using it? - What does FMVSS 213 (and 213a) actually certify? - What is the maximum legal crib slat spacing? - How much gap around a crib mattress is safe? - What does a JPMA / Baby Safety Alliance certification seal mean? - Where should a baby monitor cord be placed? - Why doesn't Crib Lab recommend secondhand car seats or cribs? - What safety standard governs strollers, and do they need a 5-point harness? - What is hip-healthy baby carrier positioning? - What belongs on a newborn essentials, travel, or nursery-setup checklist?