Before you bring your baby home is the ideal time to begin thinking about safety. The best place to start is the nursery where everything should be as safe as it can possibly be.
Your baby will most likely be spending a great deal of time in a cot. Thus, this should be a totally safe environment. Make sure that the slats are close enough together so that your childs head cannot become trapped between them. Screws, bolts and hardware should be tightly in place on the crib to prevent it from coming apart or collapsing. The mattress should be low enough that there is no chance of your baby falling out and bedding should be kept to a minimum to prevent suffocation.
Changing tables are another source of potential danger. A fall from the high surface of one of these tables can be serious. Choose a sturdy, changing table with a guardrail around all four sides. Keep changing supplies such as nappies and wipes within your reach so you dont have to leave your babys side to get them. Dont depend on a safety strap to keep your baby secure. Never leave him or her unattended on a changing table, even for one moment.
Kitchen
The kitchen is one of the most dangerous locations within your home. Some experts recommend that you keep young children out of the room all together. But, this is almost impossible to enforce because of the amount of time parents spend there. Rather, take a proactive approach to eliminating the most serious dangers by following these precautions:
Store dish soap, cleansers, furniture polish, insect spray, and other dangerous products in a high cabinet and out of your childs sight. If you must store something under the sink, use a child-proof lock that refastens automatically every time you close the cabinet door.
Keep cooking utensils, knives, scissors, and other sharp appliances in latched drawers or cabinets.
Keep a fire extinguisher in the kitchen.
All Rooms
Some safety precautions simply apply to each room of your home. Follow these safeguards to protect your baby and the rest of your family.
Install smoke detectors throughout the home and check them monthly to make sure that they are functioning properly.
Place safety plugs in all unused electrical outlets to prevent your child from sticking a finger or toy into the holes.
Ensure that throw rugs are firmly tacked down at the edges. When your baby is learning to crawl and walk, install safety gates at top and bottom of stairs.
Remove houseplants that could be toxic if eaten.
Check floors for small objects that your baby could swallow such as coins, beads, pins, and buttons.
Sharp corners and hard edges of furniture should be covered with cushioned covers and edge protectors.
Anchor tall pieces of furniture, such as bookcases to the wall.
