Let’s talk baby safety. Did you know there’s a whole month dedicated to it? I didn’t until recently. With my first child, I was a POOPCUP (Parent of One Perfect Child Under Preschool-age). My daughter honestly never really bothered much around the house, probably because there was a two-parent-to-one-child ratio. We did some basic babyproofing, but I legitimately thought, “I don’t understand why people have toilet locks. That’s crazy!” Then I became a mother of two. My son was a whirlwind. We nicknamed him “The Destroyer of Things”. He was the reason toilet locks were invented. We had to put locks on the trash can because it was his favorite plaything. The first time he pooped in the bath, I came upstairs to help my husband clean up. I walked in to find my 6’3”, quite strong husband struggling to pry this poop out of the bathroom. I mean, he was really wrestling with it and could not get it out. It was nuts. He finally wrenched it from the tub floor and that was when we realized the problem. My fourteen-month-old munchkin had eaten magnets! His poop was literally magnetized and stuck to the bath!! Thankfully, he was fine and went on to scare me to death in many other ways. All that to say, you really can never be too vigilant about baby safety. Let’s check out some basic ways you can keep your sweet babies safe.
Baby-Proofing Your Home
There are literally dozens of ways your child can injure themselves in your home once they become mobile. Thankfully, there are a myriad of products designed to prevent this as much as possible. Some basic tips include: -covering all your outlets with covers-organizing and putting away loose electrical cords-tying up the cords to your window blinds out of reach of young children-installing baby gates to block off areas your child shouldn’t be-locking toilet seats and/or placing knob covers on doors and keeping those rooms closed-anchoring all heavy furniture to the wall-installing cabinet locks on areas with harmful items and/or placing those items out of reach. Don’t be afraid to get down on their level to see what they see and make the necessary adjustments.
Car Seat Safety
We all know that our babies have to ride in a car seat to be safe, but did you know that the vast majority of people install their car seat incorrectly? Many people also incorrectly latch their children into the seats themselves. An easy way to remedy this potential disaster is to make an appointment with a child passenger safety technician or CPST. These people are highly trained in the proper installation of car seats, how to correctly strap your child into said seat, and the best practices for each age range. By the way, please notice I said, “best practices” and not laws. While it’s important to know the car seat laws for your particular state, these laws are often the bare minimum of safety standards. Best practices give us the best chance at optimum safety for our littles. Groups such as Car Seats for the Littles are a great way to get up-to-date information on your particular car seat and find a CPST. In general, some basic car seat safety tips are:-correctly installing your seat using the seatbelt or LATCH system in your vehicle-always read your vehicle’s user manual to find out the safest recommendations for your car-the car seat should not be able to move more than one inch in any direction once installed-if using the 5-point harness, the straps should be tight enough that you cannot pinch them vertically between two fingers-the chest clip should be at nipple-height right below the armpits -no blankets or puffy coats under the car seat straps-nothing attached to the car seat that didn’t come with it (no strap covers, seat covers, etc.) -rear facing for as long as possible following the height and weight limits of your seat, not based on their age
Remember to do your research. The safest seat does not equal the most expensive model. There are highly rated seats in every price range.
There are so many things to consider when discussing baby safety that it would be impossible to put them all into one post. Thankfully, Birth Boot Camp classes can help you get started! We discuss evidence-based, best practices for labor, birth, and the postpartum period. Depending on which class you take, you can learn about safe sleep for your baby, safe babywearing practices, and so much more.
Visit www.birthbootcamp.com to sign up today! Happy Child Safety Month!
Thank you Rebecca Grochowski for sharing your tips with us. You can find Rebecca at http://tinyblessingsbirth.com/ in Little Elm, TX.
