If your baby is chewing onto things with great ferocity, then you’ll know that he’s already going through the teething phase. One of the things that will face the wrath of your baby’s mostly gum-filled mouth is his own crib. The rails of his crib will become one of his chew toys if he turns away from his actual chew toys.
Here is a guide on the important details concerning crib rail covers because they are helpful when it comes to saving your child’s mouth and gums from any potential injury brought about by a hard protective fence surrounding this play/sleeping area.
A crib rail cover for your baby is a good choice at this time, but there are many materials available.As an expectant mother, what kind of crib rail cover should we choose for our baby?This article will introduce several common rail cover materials for mothers to be reference.
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Crib rail covers are essentially a layer of soft covering that will make the rails of your baby’s crib much safer, especially when he decides to use it as an assistive device for standing up or as a chew toy.
These helpful covers are very important because they serve two main purposes:
Protective material for your baby – the surface of the crib itself is hard. Even the curved plastic ones can inflict pain to the baby if he does anything that would make him bump his head. Rail covers will provide a soft layer so that it would lessen the impact and protect your baby from any potential injury.
Protective material for the crib – Your baby can easily become the bane of his own crib. He may behave himself well, but when he becomes bored or when he decides it is time to explore the world from the safety of this enclosed space, then he would do anything in his power to get an inkling of his world. And that includes gripping, scratching, and biting the crib. The covers will prevent any damage to befall the poor crib.
Fabric crib rail covers
Advantages:
Commonly available
Absorbs baby drool
Available in a wide range of sizes
Fits raised or uneven crib rails and styles
Disadvantages:
You must strictly follow the washing instructions
Hides part of the crib from view
The most popular type of crib rail covers is made from fabric. Not only does the fabric protect the crib from your baby’s teeth, but also provides padding, protecting your baby from falls.
Fabric covers feature straps evenly spaced along the length of the cover. These straps secure the crib rail cover to the crib, preventing it from being falling or being pulled off by a curious baby.
The straps can be made from numerous soft materials such as ribbon, fabric ties or even Velcro.
Fabric teething rails come in a variety of different textures and patterns. The wide range of available styles makes it easy to choose a crib rail cover that matches your nursery’s decor.
A fabric crib rail cover will need to be washed fairly frequently. A side effect of your baby chewing on the crib rail cover is an excessive amount of drool.
The drool then gets absorbed into the cover and will start to smell over time. Like crib sheets, having a spare crib rail cover on hand will allow you to alternate when cleaning and drying.
Plastic Crib Rail Cover
Advantages:
Does not detract from the crib design
Quick and simple to install
Easy to wipe down and clean
Disadvantages:
Easy for your baby to remove
Not all babies enjoy chewing on hard plastic
Drool will fall to the floor
If you have bought a unique baby crib and want to show it off then there is no point hiding it behind a fabric teething rail.
Plastic crib rail covers are transparent, allowing you to show off all aspects of your new crib while still protecting it from your teething infant.
Plastic crib rail covers simply clip onto the rail. The downside to the simple install is that a clever baby can quickly figure out how to remove a plastic crib rail cover. If your baby is too clever for his own good, you can keep the rail secured with clear zip ties.
Unlike their fabric cousins, plastic crib rail covers do not absorb drool. This means that any drool that comes out of your baby’s mouth while chewing will fall straight to the floor or crib mattress, resulting in a mess you that will require your attention.
If you have bought a unique baby crib and want to show it off then there is no point hiding it behind a fabric teething rail.
Plastic crib rail covers are transparent, allowing you to show off all aspects of your new crib while still protecting it from your teething infant.
Plastic crib rail covers simply clip onto the rail. The downside to the simple install is that a clever baby can quickly figure out how to remove a plastic crib rail cover. If your baby is too clever for his own good, you can keep the rail secured with clear zip ties.
Unlike their fabric cousins, plastic crib rail covers do not absorb drool. This means that any drool that comes out of your baby’s mouth while chewing will fall straight to the floor or crib mattress, resulting in a mess you that will require your attention.
Rubber Crib Rail Cover
Advantages:
Does not detract from the crib
Quick and simple to install
Easy to wipe down and clean
Disadvantages:
Does not fasten securely to raised or uneven crib rails
If you remove the rail cover, the adhesive also needs to be removed
Excess drool will fall to the floor
Rubber rail covers are much softer than the plastic variety. Because the surface of the crib rail compresses, your baby will have a much easier time chewing this rail cover than the plastic type.
Rubber crib rail covers attach to the baby crib by an adhesive lined back. This means that when you remove a rubber crib rail protector, you will also need to remove the sticky, gunk that is left behind.
Just like plastic, rubber does not absorb your baby’s dribble. While this makes the rail cover easy to clean, it also means that any excess drool that comes out of your baby’s mouth will rain down the cover and fall towards the ground.
Cribs are where your baby would usually spend most of their time in. Over time, they will associate themselves with this small environment and they will explore it. It is best to provide a safe environment for them to explore, and this is where crib rail covers enter. The rails are part of the modules for exploration and when the baby discovers it, it would be subjected to all manner of experimentation, including biting, scratching and slapping. It is practical to protect your baby from any harm and to secure the structural integrity of his crib. Crib rail covers can help you with that.