The Safest Cribs for Parents in Norwalk, Connecticut

 

You’ve just learned that you’re expecting a child—maybe it’s your first—and it’s exciting, but also a little scary. Not to worry, though—as you’ve probably already discovered, there’s no shortage of people ready to tell you exactly what you need to do, what’s best for your child, and what you need to avoid. You may already have received links to scads of articles and lists, with so-called “experts” sharing the “Top Ten Things to Look for in a Crib,” the “Best Toys for Tapping Your Child’s Hidden Genius,” and the “Top 17 Things to Do to Make Sure Your Child Gets into Harvard.” When you poke around below the surface, though, you quickly discover that most of the so-called experts are really just trying to sell you something, often a mass-produced product that may be affordable, but doesn’t offer much to keep your child safe. And what’s more important—saving a few bucks or keeping your youngster out of harm’s way.

Here’s the naked truth about children’s furniture—more specifically, cribs. Since the turn of the century, nearly a million and a half cribs have been recalled from the market because they posed an unreasonable risk of injury to your child. In fact, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the federal agency tasked with monitoring the potential risk of harm caused by consumer goods, rewrote the safety guidelines for cribs in 2011 and cautioned parents about purchasing any cribs built before that date. Sadly, the new regulations have not prevented product peddlers from swamping the market with substandard and unsafe cribs. Instead, many manufacturers of cheap cribs have simply deemed injuries to children as a “cost of doing business.”

Among the reasons CPSC pulled cribs off the market were:

• Designs with large gaps between the side of the crib and the mattress, posing serious risk of suffocation
• Inadequate or improper bracing or support for crib mattresses, causing them to fall to the floor
• Spindles that were either poorly held in place or that were spaced such that a child might get stuck or might fall out of the crib
• Paint or other finishes containing toxic substances that could be ingested by infants or toddlers
• Small objects that could be swallowed by children
• Paint or other finishes that chip and can be swallowed

At Silva Furniture, we’ve never lost sight of the most important part of our business—that we are building furniture for children. We’ve always believed that, first and foremost, we have a responsibility to design and manufacture the highest quality product that minimizes the potential risk of injury to your child. Because we are parents, too, we know that’s ultimately how our customers feel.

We know that our furniture costs more than the mass-produced products that flood the market, but we also believe that they outstrip those products in long-term value. We’ve designed our products to last, and to adapt as your child grows, so that you can make a single purchase when your child is born, one that will last until they leave for college.

 

At Silva Furniture, the safety of your child informs every aspect of our business:

• We craft our cribs from solid beechwood, one of the world’s most prized hardwoods. Comparable to oak or hard maple in hardness and density, beechwood offers a structural integrity that minimizes the impact of changes in temperature or humidity. Most mass-produced cribs are built with composites or plywood, which can splinter, warp and deteriorate over time, posing significant safety concerns. The solid beechwood also has a weight and stability that make it virtually impossible for an infant to tip.
• We also ensure that any exposed parts in our dressers and other children’s furniture are constructed of solid hardwood, to enhance stability and minimize risk of injury. Every dresser kit comes with a wall-anchoring kit to prevent tip-overs. We use high-quality, soft-closing German drawer hardware in all our dresser drawers, protecting fingers, and extending the life of the drawers. In independent tests, the closing mechanisms had nearly 80,000 uses… that’s almost 70 years!
• We have all our furniture carefully crafted in Europe, by skilled and dedicated artisans who share our vision and our values. We don’t look for production facilities based on where we can get it done for the least amount of money.
• We use English dovetails for all the joinery in our furniture. Not only are they among the most attractive forms of wood joinery, but there’s really no other type of joint that’s as solid and unlikely to break down. Cheap cribs are usually held together with nails, screws, dowels and even plastic connectors, all of which can pose risk of injury.
• All Silva furniture is crafted using only child-safe glues, whereas many mass-produced cribs have harmful toxins in the glue and finishes.
• The corner blocks on all our furniture are solid wood, without metal braces or other sharp objects that cause injury to a child
• All our furniture has a water-based or vegetable-based finish, so that your child won’t be exposed to toxins if they chew on the rails. The finishes on most mass-produced children’s furniture often contain lead, formaldehyde or phthalates, or other “volatile organic compounds” (VOCs).

At Silva, we adhere strictly to the guidelines set forth by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) when crafting all our children’s furniture. We take a proactive approach, regularly bringing designs and new products to independent testing facilities for review and comment.

Silva Furniture—An investment in your Child's future!

Hey, we understand how expensive it can be to raise a child. We know it can feel like every time you turn around, you’re spending money on something. But purchasing a crib for your child is more than an expense—it’s an investment:

• It’s an investment in the health and safety of your child, one that may not be as obvious, but is just as important
• It’s also a sound financial investment—with other products, you’ll need to buy a new place for your child to sleep every few years, as they outgrow their crib or toddler bed, or their bed wears out. With a 4-in-1 crib from Silva, you’ll only make one purchase for the years they spend at home.

 

Silva Furniture—Safe, Durable and Stylish Baby Furniture

At Silva Furniture, we make cribs, beds, dressers and other children’s furniture that give top priority to the safety and well-being of your child, while simultaneously offering long-term value and aesthetic appeal. To learn more about our wide selection of children’s furniture, call us today at 980-585-1460 or send us a message through our convenient contact form.

We ship our furniture to families in Norwalk, across the state of Connecticut, and throughout the country.