The arrival of a baby means the parents need to look at their home in a whole new light. Babies and young children are naturally curious and parents will need to assess their home and the outdoors for lurking dangers. Parents should not wait until disaster strikes, instead they should take steps to ensure that their home is safe. Dr Sumana Rao, consultant pediatrician at The Cradle gives us the best tips for baby safety and ways to prevent accidents.
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Using a specially designed car seat for the baby
Specially designed car seats are crafted to allow the baby to sleep comfortably with his/her head and back supported. The baby’s car seat will help to keep him/her safe while the parents are on the road. Check that the baby isn’t too hot in his/her car seat, and take a layer of clothing off if needed. Never leave the baby sleeping in his/her car seat in the car. Make sure that one parent, or an adult passenger, can see the baby at all times when travelling.
Making your home safe
Falls are the most common causes of accidents in the home. Once the baby starts crawling, the parents may also need a safety gate to keep her/him out of rooms which are off-limits.
Attach cushioned corner-and-edge protectors to coffee tables and desks. They may not prevent a fall but they can help lessen an injury.
Choose curtains and blinds without cords. If you do have them, tie cords high up and out of your child’s reach.
Place colourful stickers on large areas of glass, such as sliding glass doors, to remind the child that the doors are there.
Parents may choose to use socket covers for electrical sockets to help prevent the child fromplugging in appliances that could be dangerous. However, it’s safer to keep appliances out of the reach of the child, instead of relying on socket covers.
Keep pens, scissors, letter openers, staplers, paper clips and other sharp instruments in locked drawers.
General safety
Door slam protectors - clip over the edge of doors to prevent them slamming on little fingers.
Glass safety film - can be stuck onto large sheets of glass to prevent them from shattering into little pieces if broken.
Smoke alarm - widely available and essential for every home.
Corner protectors - designed to cover sharp furniture corners and prevent bumped heads.
Video lock - fits over the slot on your video, to stop chocolate biscuits and other foreign objects from being jammed into it.
Temporary window locks - these cheap plastic locks only allow windows to be opened to an extent.
Tip: Mobile babies can be harmed by pills, pens, and other potentially fatal items that they pull from visitors’ bags. Put guests’ belongings out of reach as soon as they arrive.
Food Allergies
Food allergies can be one of the biggest potential risks to baby safety. When you start a solid food diet for the baby, it is very important to introduce one food item at a time. This would not only help keep an allergic reaction in check but also help the parents identify whether the baby suffers from any food allergies.
The following are the most allergenic foods:
- Milk
- Eggs
- Peanuts
- Tree nuts (such as walnuts or almonds)
- Fish
- Shellfish
- Soy
- Wheat
One thing most experts do agree on is that breastfeeding offers some protection against allergies. Consider breastfeeding your baby as long as you can, especially if you have a family history of allergies.
Babies and pets
Many pets are very open-minded about small children, but it’s still important to be aware of the potential dangers to the baby. There are precautions one can take to keep the baby safe, especially once he/she is crawling and walking.
Dogs always need supervision when babies and children are around. No matter how trustworthy the pet is, if a toddler is pulling its tail, or poking its eye, it may lose patience.
Vaccine Allergies
Some babies with certain food allergies may be at a higher risk for allergic reactions as a result of vaccines containing certain food proteins. Up to 8% of children suffer from food allergies, with egg being one of the most common foods to which children are allergic. Many routine childhood immunisations contain traces of egg protein or other food ingredients. As a result, there is the possibility that a child with food allergies will experience anaphylaxis (a severe allergic reaction) as a result of receiving a vaccination.
source: healthmeup
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