Babyproofing: For many expecting parents, the very word may sound daunting. And to some extent is should be. The process of getting your home safe for your new baby is not to be taken lightly. Although babyproofing may conjure up images of safety gates and table bumpers for the crawling tots, one of its most important elements -- Crib Safety -- must be thought out well before baby arrives.

These are some back to basics of how to babyproof your crib. Choose your layette through safety lens, starting with you basinette and crib. The crib should be the safest place in the house, not only will you baby spend most of their time there, the will be there alone during the night. And in order for you to sleep soundly, you need to be assured baby is sleeping soundly.

Think crib safety, not antique chic. Sure they fit in with your carefully selected home decor, but antique cribs are not babyproof and can be extremely unsafe. They might have missing or broken pieces, lead paint or too-wide spindle openings. Standards for cribs have changed over time and these cribs definately do not meet today's safety standards.

Choose safety over style. Corner posts or ornate headboards with cutouts present a safety hazard to your baby. Clothing and ribbons can catch on tall corner posts. For corner posts, think extreme. They should either be less than 1/16 of an inch tall or taller than 16 inches -- nothing in between. A crib's spindles -- the vertical bars -- should be no further than 2 3/8" apart. If you can fit a soda can in between the spindles, the opening is too big. Make sure your crib is certified by the Juvenile Product Manufacturer's Association.

Think ahead.  Baby may be a sleepy newborn at first, but before long, they will be standing and clamoring to climb out. For that reason, choose a crib with sides that, when lowered are still at least nine inches above the mattress to prevent them from falling out. Raised sides should be at least 26 inches above the mattress in its lowest position, accords to the AAP. The National Safety Council says lowering the side of the crib should require two separate actions, or one action with a minimum force of 10 pounds, to prevent baby from letting themselves loose.

Mattress safety matter. The mattress should fit your crib snugly so there are no gaps. Use your fingers as a test: two adult fingers should not be able to fit between the mattress and the sides of the crib. The sheet should also fit the crib mattress tightly, so pulling on a corner can't dislodge it. Keep doing that laundry. If you don't have a clean baby sheet, an adult sheet is never an option because it can become loose and unsafe.

Be wise when you accessorize. You may be tempted to over-style your crib, but it's not safe to let baby sleep with fluffy comforters, pillows or plush animal pals. Don't hang stringed objects from the sides of the crib. Hanging toys and mobiles should be well out of baby's reach. They're cute for now, but should be removed when baby can push up on their hands and knees, or turns five months old.

Watch your windows. Babyproofing rules dictate that you never place the crib or bassinet next to window blinds or curtain cords. Your child may reach them when you aren't looking and become entangled. Now is also a cood time to install a smoke and carbon monoxide detector in your baby's room. Check its batteries regularly .