Planning for your first baby is a happy and frightening event. You want your newborns bedroom and the nursery furniture to be flawless, but it is vital to think about you and your baby's comfort and wellbeing first. It's therefore vital to ponder the dangers a nursery can present when designing your newborns first room.

The initial thing to fit to a new nursery is a smoke detector, for just a couple of pounds (or free from your community fire prevention officer) these must have gadgets should be your first consideration. When your child begins to crawl it's important that any spare electrical outlet is covered with a simple plastic socket protector to prevent your inquisitive baby from sticking his fingers. It's also a good idea to locate bedroom furniture in the way to prevent your baby from finding sockets.

Your baby's cot is the item of nursery furniture where she will spend the most time for her first months. Cots are also one of the major causes of infant harm and death so it is essential to make sure your cot follows the recommended safety standards. Your cot should be deep enough so your baby is unable to climb out. Check that the spacing between the rails is not capable of permitting the child to trap their head.Ensure that cots with lowering sides lock automatically and cannot be worked free by the child.

It's important that used cots are checked out thoroughly for damage to fastenings and fixtures and that you buy a brand new mattress for your baby. It's also vital to check the mattress is a snug fit and leaves no more than a 4cm gap around the outside to prevent your child from becoming trapped.

Remember to place your newborn down to sleep on her back to lower the dangers of SIDS and refrain from using cushions or overly fluffy bed clothes in the cot. When using a nightlight make sure it is placed away from the cot and any other soft furnishings

Try to place your nursery furniture in a way that prevents positioning things in front of windows. Also steer clear of positioning anything that can assist your child to stand on to peer out of a window. Window locks are a fantastic way to make certain your youngster's windows can only be released by you. If you have to open a window to permit ventilation make sure the window is secured and never open more than 5cm, there are fastenings on the market that stop windows from being opened wide enough to allow a child to climb out.

Another item of baby furniture responsible for numerous baby injuries is the changing station. Always fasten your child firmly with the changing station's safety straps and never leave her on the table unattended. Keep your changing gear out of baby's reach. Babies and toddlers are instinctively inquisitive and nappy sacks or rash creams are potentially dangerous.

Rather worryingly one of the most common causes of harm in a child's room are curtains and blinds. Avoid using long curtains or drapes that may ensnare and suffocate a small toddler and never hang blinds with lengthy cords in your baby's nursery. If you do use blinds, be sure to fold the strings out of the way high above baby's reach and never place nursery furniture your baby occupies, like her cot or the changing table, near the blinds.

Choose your toy storage carefully. Toy boxes should be fitted with safety hinges or lightweight fabric lids to stop fingers from being trapped. As your baby gets older, she may climb inside the toy chest, toy box and a weighty lid could trap her so it's important they be fitted with safety hinges or lightweight lids. Drawers are also potentially dangerous and ideally should have a soft close function. Doors also pose a danger to little digits and all doors should be fitted with child safe mechanisms to stop small digits from becoming damaged

By following straight forward advice and making sure their furniture complies the appropriate standards new parents can produce safe, chic and welcoming bedrooms for children and babies for their new baby.