Tips for New Parents During Baby Safety Month

September is Baby Safety Month and we have some key tips on how to make sure you’re fostering a safe environment at home for a baby, and all other members of your family. While it’s never too late to brush up on your household safety, many of these reminders are things you might not think about as you welcome your first child.

 

The ABC’s of Safe Sleep 

A – Alone: Always place your baby in their crib/bassinet alone to sleep. It is not recommended that babies sleep in the same bed as a parent, sibling, or caregiver.

B – Back: Babies should always be put to sleep on their backs, not on their stomachs or sides.

C – Crib: Your baby’s crib or bassinet should be empty, with no blankets, pillows, toys, stuffed animals, bumper pads, or other supplies. The mattress should be firm and covered with a snugly fitted sheet. If a baby falls asleep in a car seat or bouncy chair, they should be moved to the crib for the night’s sleep.

Double Check Your Car Seat’s Installation

Ensure you have bought the car seat that is the correct model for your child’s size and weight. You can find information about different types of car seats on our blog here. Properly follow the installation instructions that come with the car seat. You can even get your car seat’s installation checked by a child passenger safety technician. September 15th-21st is National Child Passenger Safety Week and across the country you’ll be able to find nationally certified child passenger safety technicians near you. Find child passenger safety technicians through the National CPS Certification Program, or visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for a directory of inspection stations.

Strap In Safely

Highchairs, infant carriers, swings, changing tables, and strollers can all pose an unknowing threat to your baby’s safety if you fail to strap them in properly. Even if it doesn’t seem like that big of a deal to leave your baby in a seat unrestrained, you never know when “just one quick minute” turns into several, or a passerby or pet can jostle them and cause a fall. 

Keep Poisonous Substances Out of Reach 

Medications, cleaning products, and batteries can all pose a poison risk to infants if ingested. While your baby might not be able to “get into them” just yet, soon enough they’ll be crawling and walking. It’s always a good idea to start out with these items set apart from where small hands can access them – you never know how busy life will get as the days fly by and we’d rather secure these items earlier than later! We also recommend keeping a list of safety numbers in a common area of the house and including the poison control hotline: 1-800-222-1222 (or program it into your phone).

Check and Replace Batteries on Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms

Install a working smoke alarm AND a carbon monoxide alarm on every level of your home, and in all sleeping areas. This is an important tip for not just baby safety, but family safety as well. And please test the alarms regularly to make sure they work and replace any batteries according to their schedule.

For questions or any other concerns, Augusta Pediatrics can be reached at (706) 868-0389. The information on this site is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. All content, including text, graphics, images and information, contained on or available through this web site is for general information purposes only.