Baby safety is one of the most important responsibilities of both parents or the nanny, keeping watch over the baby. Being very young without much cognitive ability, it is important to make sure you keep your baby where little harm can befall them.
You should never leave an infant alone to reduce the risk of health, and physical hazards like falls, drowning, and suffocation, leading to death. There is also the popular Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), with babies between one to four months of age being more susceptible than others.
Baby safety could be a complex task for parents, as these little ones tend to move about, exploring and picking things at the slightest opportunity. Be it in the baby crib, car seat, bathroom, surfaces with edges, hot surfaces, or their favorite toys, we have researched what works to protect these little ones.
Keep on reading to discover our carefully handpicked expert tips and advice for parents looking to protect their babies from physical harm and other things that pose a threat to their overall health.
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Tips To Make Sure Your Baby Stays Safe Always
No matter where babies or even younger kids find themselves, there always seems to be every possibility that they may get hurt. Keeping a baby safe goes beyond more than a watchful eye on them. You still have to bother about the fact that a toy could choke them if swallowed.
Every year, tens of thousands of infants are admitted to the hospital for preventable accidents. We have taken out time to put together an article for all the parents out there who are expecting or already have a new addition to their family.
Below are our ultimate tips to keep your baby safe and reduce the risk of injury or loss of life to babies and slightly older kids.
1.Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, also known as crib death, is the inexplicable death of a baby, usually during sleep. The causes are often said to be the baby re-breathing discharged carbon dioxide, to low oxygen levels being detected in the baby’s lungs.
Here are our tips for avoiding Sudden Infant Death Syndrome happening to your baby, especially when in the home;
- Do not wrap the baby in too many blankets or clothes to avoid excess heat.
- Make sure you do not keep the child in an environment that has smoke from cigars and tobacco,
- Ensure you lay the child on a new mattress that is flat and sturdy. Soft mattresses reduce the risk of death.
- Avoid laying the child to sleep on their side when putting them to sleep in their crib when at home. Lay them on their back when it is time for bed.
- Breastfeeding the child is also said to reduce the chance of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
- Parents may also share a room with the baby, as this is said to reduce the probability of SIDS by over 50 percent drastically
- If your baby has their own room, use smart baby monitors to help you see and hear your child even if you sleep in the master bedroom. Smart baby camera monitors also allows you to work on home chores without going back and forth to your little one’s room. The best smart baby monitors features night vision, plays lullabies, humidity and temperature monitoring, with app support for multiple cameras.
2.Safety Tips For Babies When In The Car
Vehicles have many safety features to cater to adults, young children, and most importantly, babies. Asides from airbags, seat belts, and assisted braking, vehicles’ car seat has seen additions to make it safer for a baby to fit in safely.
Below are some tips to minimize the risk of injury to your baby when on the road;
- Make sure you install the car seat meant for the child correctly. Read the manufacturer’s instructions for more details on installation.
- Let the child ride in a rear-facing car seat until they are two to three years old.
- Make sure you put the baby’s seat at the correct angle. Many seats for babies today have indicators for better placement and adjustment of the child’s seat.
- Use a light blanket when fastening the child’s harness in place.
- Installing a car baby monitor allows you to focus on your driving, without looking in the back. Using car baby monitors provides safer trips with your baby onboard. You just need to glance at the monitor and you can see how your little one’s doing.
3.Tips To Keep Your Baby Safe At Home
Baby safety at home is probably going to be the most read point on this piece, as this is where the family will most likely spend a chunk of their time. Safety at home is of paramount importance, as there are toys, edges, sharp surfaces, and even breakables which pose a threat.
We have carefully divided the different hazards you are likely to encounter. Below are our baby safety tips to protect your baby from harm to your little one at home;
A. Choking
Never leave your baby alone in a place where they can access things such as coins, buttons, or small toys. This is to protect them from possibly swallowing it.
Monitor your child at mealtime. Get them to sit upright rather than run around, which increases the chance of choking.
Toys and parts of toys meant for recreation by older children in the house should be kept away from infants. The parts could pose a choking hazard if swallowed.
Get whoever is preparing the baby food to mash it into a puree. Large solid pieces of food are a common cause of choking for babies below six months of age.
B. Falls
Never leave your baby alone on the couch or a high platform without adult supervision. It is easy for a baby to wriggle off the edge and fall.
Keep checking the floor frequently for objects that could cause you to trip while holding the baby. Also, carry out frequent checks for objects that could cause your newborn to trip and fall over.
It is advisable to change the diapers of your baby using a changing mat on the floor.
It is advisable that kids below the age of six should not sleep in the top bunk.
When your little one is old enough to start crawling, make sure you lock all windows securely or use window guards. This is non-negotiable for families residing in houses with more than one floor.
Illuminate the hallways properly so that older children can see their path clearly when adults are not around to supervise movement.
C. Poisoning
Lock away cleaning agents like bleach and detergents from babies, as they could be attracted to the bright packaging.
Keep cigarettes and other smoke-emitting objects away from children, as the emissions are hazardous to adults and children alike.
Teach the child in question to learn not to consume plants in your garden. There may be plants that could cause potential harm, like poison ivy.
D. Strangulation & Suffocation
Avoid leaving objects with rope-like features such as earphones, charging cords, or loose ribbons lying around.
Keep stuffed animals away from kids, as this poses a suffocation risk. Check on the baby’s surroundings, cribs, cots, and pram for such frequently.
Make sure you see to it that there are no nylons or plastic bags around the baby’s surroundings.
Parents should know not to sleep on the same bed with children below a year old or even more. Chances of suffocation are increased in such a situation. You can implement infant sleep training so your baby would develop good sleeping habits and can sleep on their own.
E. Safety Tips For Kids When Around Water
Homeowners with a pool should have a pool fence installed so that kids cannot get in without adult supervision.
Monitor your baby when playing around ponds or other water bodies.
Get covers for every container holding water in the home. This will make sure that your baby is unable to poke their heads in when they have reached the age of being able to stand upright.
You may want to close the toilet seat at all times. Drowning for babies can happen at depths as low as 6cm, the worst part being that there won’t be any noise while it goes on.
F. Safety When Outdoors
Lock away tools, especially those with sharp edges, and power tools like chainsaws when outdoors.
Never leave your tools plugged into a power source when you decide to take a break.
G. Burns And Hot Liquids
Never leave hot drinks or liquids within reach of the baby. That way, safety from burns and scalds are drastically reduced.
Keep matches and lighters away from small kids.
Check that the water temperature used in bathing the baby does not exceed fifty degrees Celsius. Also, dilute the hot water from the water heater in the house.
Apply shatter-resistant film to existing glass to avoid injuries like cuts that could land your baby in the hospital.
Dispose of broken glass quickly, and wrap in a newspaper before disposal.
When buying new furniture with glass, get the one with the British Standard (BS) Kitemark.
Bonus Tips
Some bonus safety tips include;
Never throw your baby up in the air or shake them, as this could result in blindness or brain damage.
Turn down the water heater to 120o F, as boiling water could scald the baby’s skin
Always use harnesses and straps on the baby’s chair to prevent them from sliding out unnecessarily.
If you’ll be working in kitchen, lawn or garden, and your baby is inside the house, use long distance baby monitors, which allow you to monitor up to distance up to 1000 feet. Long range baby monitors also allow you to see, hear and talk to them even if you’re far in the house.
Conclusion
Your baby’s overall health is of paramount importance so that they grow up to experience more years with a reduced probability of health problems or physical harm. Keeping your baby safe from hazards like water, glass, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, and even while driving has been covered in this article.
Also, we recommend you consider looking into baby monitors. If your working on a home office, you can use WiFi baby monitors with screen and app connectivity to iPhone and Android phones. You can likewise use two camera baby monitors if you like to see different angles of your child. On a tight string for these gadgets, there are cheap baby monitors and audio baby monitors that can provide just enough functionality and monitoring to your cute angel.
Be sure to use the listed safety tips for your baby, no matter how many months they may be. In the case of burns, allergies, and injuries, there is first aid you could give to babies and kids. However, with the right safety precautions being adhered to, there won’t be any need for first aid or hospital visits.
Thanks for reading, and have a great day to all our wonderful readers.
