Child safety is every parent’s responsibility. From the time of conception, delivery to growing up. Moms and dads should always look after their kids’ safety and comfort.
The task is certainly not easy as children also have their bad days and parents have other responsibilities to provide for the family.
Also taking care of babies go beyond feeding and watching them from time to time. Yes, it is impossible to glue your eyes on them 24/7 but at their age, they need constant attention, which might sound demanding but necessary.
There have been several reports of babies who were left in the backseat or fall off the bed due to lack of attention. Hence, being charged for baby safety is a huge responsibility and this article will help you prepare for it.
Here are different scenarios that you should consider when taking care of your baby.
Baby Safety From Fall
The most common accidents that babies encountered, especially when they start to crawl or move is falling off from their bed, chair or crib. So to help you avoid these instances, we suggest that you consider the following suggestions.
- Always place your infant carrier on the floor and make sure that the baby is strapped in.
- Never leave your baby alone on the bed, couch or changing table, especially if he or she already knows how to crawl because he or she can fall or roll off.
Baby Feeding Safety
When feeding your child, you also need to be careful on what you put in their mouth. Here are some tips for you.
- Do not leave your baby unattended with his or her bottle as this may lead to choking up.
- Never give your child foods that risk him or her from choking like raw carrots, unpeeled apples, nuts or hard candies.
- When placing your baby in a high chair, do not miss the restraining straps; lock it around your child’s waist and between his legs to keep him stable and safe from sliding out.
Baby Safety In Your Car
There will come a time when you have to travel and put your child in a car safety seat for eveyone’s convenience. It will not be comfortable for you and your child if you carry him or her, especially when you have to drive. When you have to drive and put your baby in a car safety seat, consider the following suggestion:
- Never carry your baby on your lap while you drive. While this seems sweet, it’s a big no-no.
- Always choose the federally approved car safety seat as they are more reliable and durable.
- Read the seat instructions carefully and make sure that the seat is properly installed.
- Place the safety car seat in the middle of the back seat, as this is the safest location. The car seat should face the rear of the vehicle.
- Never put the baby in the front passenger seat, especially those with airbags. If in case your car has no back seat, disengage the airbag while the baby’s seat is in the air.
- Make it a habit to check the back seat to make sure that your baby will not be left behind. To make this possible, you can leave your bag, purse, briefcase or cell phone in the backseat, so you will be prompted to check the backseat before leaving your vehicle.
Baby Safety From Strangulation or Chocking
Babies play on whatever things they get their hands on whether it is safe or not. So, it is your responsibility to keep hazardous objects away from his or her grips. Here are some suggestions to get this done:
- Never put strings or cords around your baby’s neck or near his or her crib. Thus, be cautious of the strings or buttons on clothing, make sure that your baby is safe from them.
- Secure all strings or cords on blinds and drapes out of your baby’s reach to prevent accidental strangulation.
- Keep small objects like coins, toys or display items that can risk your baby from injury or choking if swallowed.
Baby Safety On Sleeping
When you put your baby to sleep, laying him or her in bed is not enough. You can consider infant sleep training to give your baby a good night sleep. Here are some tips for you, so you and your baby will enjoy a good rest.
- Share your bedroom with your newborn but not a bed.
- Put your baby down to sleep on their back and give him or her a pacifier. In this way, you can reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome or (SIDS).
- Avoid soft bedding that might suffocate your baby like pillows, blankets, plush toys and bumpers in the crib.
- Keep your baby’s room temperature between 16 degrees C and 20 degrees C. If you use baby monitors, some models have a built-in Make sure that your baby’s room has the right thermometer, too hot or too cold temperature is not friendly for your baby. Being too hot can risk your child from SID.
- Crib slats should 2 3/8 inches apart or less so the head can’t get trapped.
Additional Baby Safety Tips
Aside from keeping your baby safe from falling or during sleeping and feeding, you also need to make your home and the environment more friendly and considerate to your little one. Here are additional baby safety tips to keep your child and entire family safe all the time
- Do not smoke or allow smoking near your baby. Even if you smoke outside, you still carry the same risk because the smoke particles will remain on your clothing, hair, and skin.
- Equip every level of your home with a smoke alarm system. Make sure that the device is always ready. So change the batteries of your smoke detectors every six months.
- Have at least one fire extinguisher on every level of your house.
- If you use gas heat, install a carbon monoxide detector to alert you when there’s a carbon monoxide leakage. Carbon monoxide is odorless and colorless but poisonous.
- Put plug protectors in unused electrical outlets
- Use cool-air humidifier instead of a vaporizer to avoid burns. Clean it regularly and empty it when not in use to keep bacteria and molds way.
Keeping your baby safe all the time is your top priority and while the list above is quite long, it is necessary to secure your little one. We hope that the list above will be helpful to parents, especially for first –time parents, who are still new to parenting.
