Infant Safety Tips
Everything about the baby depends on the parents, and ensuring the safety of the baby is also one of the most important tasks for new parents. One of the reasons why keeping babies safe is so challenging is that each new developmental stage brings new risks. Here are some safety tips for babies:
1.Baby Sleeping Safety
- All babies should sleep on their backs to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
- Cradles and/or cribs should comply with current safety standards.
-The mattress should be firm and snug inside the bassinet/crib.
- Keep items such as pillows, quilts, comforters and stuffed animals outside the bed. Prevent your baby from choking due to accidents.
- Keep bassinets/cribs away from windows, heaters, lights and other furniture.
- Keep your baby's room at a moderate temperature and dress them in clothes that won't overheat.
- Install a monitor in the room and make sure the baby can be photographed, so that you can check the baby's sleep at any time, especially if you can't be around while the baby is sleeping.
2.Baby Feeding Safety
-Never prop up your baby's bottle and leave your baby unattended; your baby could choke. Do not put your baby to bed with a bottle.
- When heating breastfeeding, check the temperature of the breast milk, not the bottle. Prevent your baby from scalding.
- When using a bottle, pay attention to the size of the nipple opening. Prevent your baby from choking on breast milk too fast and too much.
- Before age 4, avoid foods that block the airways, such as: peanut butter, hot dogs, popcorn, whole grapes, raw carrots, raisins, nuts, hard or toffee, and chewing gum.
- Stay vigilant. Small children put a lot of things in their mouths. A vigilant adult is often the best defense.
- Keep items such as coins, buttons, balloons, safety pins, hairpins and stones out of the reach of children.
-Follow the age recommendations for toys, especially those with small parts, to prevent accidental ingestion by your baby.
3.Baby Bathing Safety
- Check the temperature with your arm or a bathtub thermometer before putting your baby in the water. The water temperature should be between 96-100 degrees Fahrenheit.
-Bathing your baby in a specially designed non-slip baby bathtub. Don't put too much water.
-Never leave your baby unattended in the bathtub or bath ring. It only takes seconds for a baby to drown.
- Keep small appliances, such as hair dryers and radios, away from water and bathing areas.
4.Baby Crawling and Walking Safety
-Put power socket covers on all sockets.
-Fix the wires to the baseboard or wall.
-Install security doors in front of stairs and basement doors. Avoid doors with diamond-shaped slats, which provide a foothold for climbing toddlers.
-Use doorknob covers to keep children away from rooms and other areas with hazards. Be careful, though, that these devices are easy for adults to use in case of emergency.
-Keep cleaners and medicines out of reach, in locked cabinets and always in their original containers. Never store toxic substances in bottles or jars that could be mistaken for food.
-Install cabinet security locks.
-Designate the kitchen area as a restricted area for babies and install protective doors.
-Cover the toilet lid to prevent drowning and prevent the toilet lid from hitting the baby's head or hands.
-Cushion hard edges and sharp corners of furniture.
-Anchor unstable furniture such as bookcases.
-Place furniture away from tall windows so children don't climb on windowsills. Screens are not strong enough to prevent children from falling through windows.
5. Baby Safety in the Car
-Always use a federally approved car safety seat when traveling in a motor vehicle.
-NEVER carry your infant in your lap while you ride in a car.
-For the first 2 years of a baby's life, car seats should face the rear of the vehicle.
-The safest location for the car seat is the middle of the back seat.
-NEVER put the baby in the front passenger seat of cars, especially those with airbags. If you have a truck with no back seat, you should disengage the airbag while the baby's seat is in the car.
-Check the height and weight limits on your child’s car seat from time to time to be sure they haven’t outgrown it. You’ll also need to adjust the position of the harness straps as your baby gets bigger.
6.Other
-Do not leave babies unattended on the changing table and always use a seat belt.
-Make sure the changing table is fixed.
-Keep all changing supplies within reach of the changing table and avoid walking away from the baby.
-Do not smoke and do not allow smoking around your baby.
-Do not leave your baby alone with younger siblings, even while your baby is sleeping.
-Check your child's toys frequently. Make sure the toy is unbreakable, doesn't fall apart, doesn't have small parts that could be chewed or snapped, and isn't sharp.
-Be careful with cords or buttons on clothing, keep curtains and cords on curtains out of reach to ensure they are not a choking hazard for your baby.
-Keep pet's food and water bowls in an area your baby can’t reach. Same with the litterbox.
-Supervise your child’s interactions with your pets and teach them to be gentle. Hitting or tail-pulling can lead to bites and scratches.
-Don’t let your animals lick your baby’s face or skin, especially if they have a cut or scrape.
-When taking your baby out, pay attention to the temperature changes and do not expose to the sun.
1.Baby Sleeping Safety
- All babies should sleep on their backs to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
- Cradles and/or cribs should comply with current safety standards.
-The mattress should be firm and snug inside the bassinet/crib.
- Keep items such as pillows, quilts, comforters and stuffed animals outside the bed. Prevent your baby from choking due to accidents.
- Keep bassinets/cribs away from windows, heaters, lights and other furniture.
- Keep your baby's room at a moderate temperature and dress them in clothes that won't overheat.
- Install a monitor in the room and make sure the baby can be photographed, so that you can check the baby's sleep at any time, especially if you can't be around while the baby is sleeping.
2.Baby Feeding Safety
-Never prop up your baby's bottle and leave your baby unattended; your baby could choke. Do not put your baby to bed with a bottle.
- When heating breastfeeding, check the temperature of the breast milk, not the bottle. Prevent your baby from scalding.
- When using a bottle, pay attention to the size of the nipple opening. Prevent your baby from choking on breast milk too fast and too much.
- Before age 4, avoid foods that block the airways, such as: peanut butter, hot dogs, popcorn, whole grapes, raw carrots, raisins, nuts, hard or toffee, and chewing gum.
- Stay vigilant. Small children put a lot of things in their mouths. A vigilant adult is often the best defense.
- Keep items such as coins, buttons, balloons, safety pins, hairpins and stones out of the reach of children.
-Follow the age recommendations for toys, especially those with small parts, to prevent accidental ingestion by your baby.
3.Baby Bathing Safety
- Check the temperature with your arm or a bathtub thermometer before putting your baby in the water. The water temperature should be between 96-100 degrees Fahrenheit.
-Bathing your baby in a specially designed non-slip baby bathtub. Don't put too much water.
-Never leave your baby unattended in the bathtub or bath ring. It only takes seconds for a baby to drown.
- Keep small appliances, such as hair dryers and radios, away from water and bathing areas.
4.Baby Crawling and Walking Safety
-Put power socket covers on all sockets.
-Fix the wires to the baseboard or wall.
-Install security doors in front of stairs and basement doors. Avoid doors with diamond-shaped slats, which provide a foothold for climbing toddlers.
-Use doorknob covers to keep children away from rooms and other areas with hazards. Be careful, though, that these devices are easy for adults to use in case of emergency.
-Keep cleaners and medicines out of reach, in locked cabinets and always in their original containers. Never store toxic substances in bottles or jars that could be mistaken for food.
-Install cabinet security locks.
-Designate the kitchen area as a restricted area for babies and install protective doors.
-Cover the toilet lid to prevent drowning and prevent the toilet lid from hitting the baby's head or hands.
-Cushion hard edges and sharp corners of furniture.
-Anchor unstable furniture such as bookcases.
-Place furniture away from tall windows so children don't climb on windowsills. Screens are not strong enough to prevent children from falling through windows.
5. Baby Safety in the Car
-Always use a federally approved car safety seat when traveling in a motor vehicle.
-NEVER carry your infant in your lap while you ride in a car.
-For the first 2 years of a baby's life, car seats should face the rear of the vehicle.
-The safest location for the car seat is the middle of the back seat.
-NEVER put the baby in the front passenger seat of cars, especially those with airbags. If you have a truck with no back seat, you should disengage the airbag while the baby's seat is in the car.
-Check the height and weight limits on your child’s car seat from time to time to be sure they haven’t outgrown it. You’ll also need to adjust the position of the harness straps as your baby gets bigger.
6.Other
-Do not leave babies unattended on the changing table and always use a seat belt.
-Make sure the changing table is fixed.
-Keep all changing supplies within reach of the changing table and avoid walking away from the baby.
-Do not smoke and do not allow smoking around your baby.
-Do not leave your baby alone with younger siblings, even while your baby is sleeping.
-Check your child's toys frequently. Make sure the toy is unbreakable, doesn't fall apart, doesn't have small parts that could be chewed or snapped, and isn't sharp.
-Be careful with cords or buttons on clothing, keep curtains and cords on curtains out of reach to ensure they are not a choking hazard for your baby.
-Keep pet's food and water bowls in an area your baby can’t reach. Same with the litterbox.
-Supervise your child’s interactions with your pets and teach them to be gentle. Hitting or tail-pulling can lead to bites and scratches.
-Don’t let your animals lick your baby’s face or skin, especially if they have a cut or scrape.
-When taking your baby out, pay attention to the temperature changes and do not expose to the sun.
