The month of September is National Baby Safety Month. It’s time to focus on the importance of providing babies with a safe environment. Reducing the risk of things that could cause them harm is crucial.
Babies can be very curious and active—use the following advice to keep them protected.
• Check the safety of the baby’s crib. Make sure nothing is loose or missing.
• Do not have pillows, blankets, and stuffed animals in the crib to prevent your baby from the risk of suffocation.
• Check all the handrails in your house to make sure they are not wobbly.
• Have a list of emergency numbers next to each phone in the house, or in easily accessible areas if you are a cell-phone only house.
• Test all of the smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors in your home.
• Cover all of the unused electrical sockets with outlet plugs in your home.
• Tape or tack up any hanging chords from blinds, lamps, or electronics to keep them out of the baby’ reach.
• Make sure all medicines and cleaning supplies are stored out of the babies reach.
• Have safety gates installed at the top and bottom of all stairwells.
• Place protective padding to cover any sharp edges in your home, such as the edge of a glass table.
• Keep a close eye on your baby when it is around a family pet.
Using the above advice is essential to keeping your baby safe. There are risks throughout your home and if you take the time to go through your house, these risks can be greatly decreased.