Thrift Store Safety Checklist Top 10 List . . . If you buy at thrift stores, here are some tips to help you make safer purchases. Cribs Make sure cribs meet current national safety standards and are in good condition. Look for a certification seal. Check that crib slats are no more than 2 3/8 inches apart. Crib mattresses should fit snuggly. If crib slats are too far apart, infants can slip between them and strangle. If the mattress doesn't fit snuggly, infants can become entrapped and suffocate. Clothing Drawstrings Be sure there are no drawstrings around the hood and neck of children's upper outerwear clothing, such as sweatshirts. Other types of clothing fasteners, like snaps, zippers, or hook and loop fasteners (such as Velcro), should be used. Drawstrings at the waist should not extend more than 3 inches. Drawstrings can catch on playground and other equipment, and can strangle young children. Hair dryers Look for hair dryers with large rectangular shaped safety plugs. These immersion protection plugs prevent electrocution by shutting off the current if the hair dryer comes into contact with water. Halogen Floor Lamps Make sure that halogen torchiere floor lamps have glass or wire guards over the bulb shield and the bulb is 300 watts or less. Glass or wire guards with lower wattage bulbs can prevent fires that occur when flammable materials like curtains get too close to the lamp. Wire guards are free. For information, call CPSC at 1-800-638-2772. Playpens and Play Yards Check that playpens and play yards have not been recalled. Recalled products include play yards with protruding hardware or rotating top rails that don't properly lock into place. Children can strangle if pacifier strings or clothing become entangled on protruding hardware. Children can be entrapped by folding play yards that collapse. Car Seat Carriers Check to make sure the infant car sear carrier you are buying has not been recalled. Car seat carrier handle locks on recalled models can unexpectedly release when used as a carrier outside of a car. Infants can fall forward and strike the ground if the handle disengages. Bunk Beds Make sure all spaces between the guardrail and bed frame and all spaces in the bed headboard and footboards of the top bunk are less than 3 ½ inches. Make sure there are guardrails on both sides of the top bunk. Children can become entrapped and strangle in the bed's structure or wedged between the bed and a wall and suffocate. Toy Basketball Nets CPSC has obtained recalls of millions of hazardous toy basketball nets. Check before you buy. Children can strangle on loops or openings in these basketball nets if the nets come unhooked from the rim or have knots that slide. If children put their heads into these openings, the nets can get tangled around their necks. Toy basketball nets can present a strangulation hazard to children. Accordion-Style Safety Gates Do not buy older accordion-style child safety gates. Make sure that newer style child safety gates are used to keep children away from potentially dangerous areas, especially stairs. Older child safety gates that do not meet current safety standards can present strangulation and other hazards to young children. Bean Bag Chairs Do not buy bean bag chairs with zippers that can be opened. CPSC has obtained recalls of more than 12 million bean bag chairs. Young children can unzip bean bag chairs and choke or suffocate on the small pellets of foam filling. For more information about children’s safety and recalls of children’s toys and products, contact: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Washington, DC 20207 Toll-free hotline: 1-800-638-2772 Web site: www.cpsc.gov (Go to Recalls/News) Back to Experts' Advice Check Out Recalls Now on ParentsTalk!. Legal Stuff You Should Know