Every year, approximately 2 ½ million babies are injured or hurt in the home. This is a tragic statistic, especially since by taking a few safety precautions, this could be prevented. By knowing basic safety tips for the bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and living room, you can keep your baby safe anywhere in your home.

Your baby will spend the majority of his or her time sleeping in the bedroom during the first year. A few basic precautions that you need to take are being sure you put your baby to sleep on his back with a firm, flat mattress to sleep on. Don’t fill the crib with blankets or stuffed animals that could suffocate your baby if he moves around and gets tangled in them. Be sure there are no loose screws or bolts on the crib and that all the spindles are tightly in place so your baby can’t get his head caught in them. Never put your baby’s crib near blinds, especially ones that have cords hanging down. Toddlers die from getting strangled by blind cords every year.

Even before you bring your baby home from the hospital, go through your bathroom and kitchen and put all medicines and cleaners in a locked cabinet. Most of the household cleaners you have in your home are poisonous and will kill your baby quickly. All medicines should have childproof lids, but don’t take chances – lock all medicines away. Obviously, your baby can’t get to these things when she is newborn, but before you know it, she will be crawling around and exploring. By that time, you may have forgotten about the cleaning products and medicines. Put them away before it’s too late.

You also need to be careful of the water temperature in your home both in the kitchen and especially in the bathroom. As your baby gets older, they learn quickly how to turn the water on in the bathtub, if your water temperature is set too high, it will scald your baby. It is recommended that as long as you have a baby or small child in your home to keep the water at 120 degrees and no hotter. Always check the water before you put your baby in the bathtub and never leave them alone for a second.

Mealtimes can be fun for babies, but make sure you use the safety strap when feeding your baby and never leave him alone while he is eating. Babies quickly learn how to climb out of highchairs and if left alone, even just for a minute, and he can choke on food. You’ve put away all the cleaning supplies in the kitchen, but what about knives, matches and plastic bags? All of these pose dangers to babies and small children and need to be put up out of their reach.

In the living room, install safety gates on all stairways. Babies love to climb the stairs, but until they have learned how to come down them safely, they need to be kept away from them. Go through your living room and look for all small objects that could cause choking, and electrical cords and outlets. All of your outlets should have covers on them and try to arrange your furniture where the baby can’t get to the cords to avoid strangulation and electrical shock.

By following these tips for the bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and living room, you should be able to relax and enjoy your baby while keeping him safe. Make a checklist of these items and take care of them before your baby is born and life gets too hectic. By taking care of these safety issues first, you will have more time to enjoy your baby.

Jason Ladock

Copyrighted material; do not reprint without permission.

 

View all articles by Jason Ladock