Baby Safety Tips

Posted on: July 5th, 2017\""by Ivana Stamenkovic

Once you bring your baby home, you must do everything to keep her safe. She completely depends on you. Always remember that the most important thing when it comes to safety is prevention. Accidents are preventable, but you must now what are the potential hazards, so you'd know how to prevent them.

Before your baby comes to your home, you should childproof your house to ensure that your baby's environment is safe at all times. This is especially important as she starts to grow and becomes more active. Once your baby starts crawling or walking she'll get to every corner of your house. Unless you prevent her, of course.

Stay close to your baby. Never, under any circumstances, leave your baby alone or without an adult supervision. Carefully choose persons with whom you leave your children. Other people might not take the same precautions you do.

Here is the list of the things you should do to make your baby's environment safe for her and to avoid potential injuries:

Write down all the emergency phone numbers you may need. It is important that you can quickly reach them, so keep them in an accessible place. You should enter them on your cell phone, too. And don't forget to give them to the babysitter as well.

Check if there have been any recalls on your baby's equipment. Remember that safety guidelines change over the time, so older products, even if they are in good condition, may not meet current safety standards.

Follow the instructions provided with the equipment when putting it up or using it. Don't use the product if you cannot set it up as described in the instructions or if there are any missing or broken parts.

Support your baby’s head. Since their head is bigger and heavier than their body and their neck muscles aren't strong enough, newborns aren't able to hold their head up. You should support your baby's head with one of your hands every time you lift her up, hold her or carry her.

You should always hold your baby during feedings so you could prevent choking. Lift your baby's head higher than the rest of her body. Never prop bottles for a baby and bottle-feed her only when she's awake.

The safest place for your baby to sleep is in a crib, cradle or bassinet. Babies and young children can suffocate when sleeping on unsafe surfaces such as a standard bed, water bed, air mattress… or they could fall. It’s recommended that parents share a room with the newborn for the first six months.

If your baby is on a high surface, such as changing table or a bed, always keep one of your hands on your baby's body.

Make sure that furniture, such as a wall unit or a bookcase is securely fastened to the wall. Children may try to climb to these items, causing the item to fall on them.

Make sure that all water sources such as hot tubs or pools are not accessible to children. Children can easily drown even in a small amount of water, so never leave your child alone in a bath tub.

Purchase only age appropriate toys with no small parts. Be sure that toys are sturdy and washable. Avoid toys with batteries or magnets.

Avoid dressing your baby in clothes with buttons, ribbons and any decorative items or make sure they won’t come off easily.

Small objects should be kept out of your baby’s reach since they can quickly become a choking hazard.

Plastic bags should also be kept out of your baby’s reach to prevent suffocation.

Avoid holding your baby when you smoke, cook or if you drink or eat anything that’s hot. Don’t sit too close to a fireplace. And put up a barrier around a gas or wood burning fireplace to prevent your child from burning.

Install smoke detectors and make sure that they work properly. You should also have a fire extinguisher in the house. Always ensure that all gas appliances are properly functioning.

All electrical outlets should be secured with safety covers so that children can't put their fingers or any metal objects into them. Check if these safety covers are well secured so your child can't take them out.

Newborns should be kept out of the sun. But, if that's not possible, be sure to protect your child's skin and head.

Don't expose your baby to any loud or high-pitch noises.

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