You should also be sure to keep contact numbers for physicians, family members and other support persons by each telephone should an emergency situation happen.
This checklist can help you make sure your home is safe for your child. It gives general guidelines on how to prevent injury or death from eight major dangers to infants: automobiles, burns, drowning, miscellaneous and deliberate injury, poisons, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), suffocation and choking.
| Automobiles |  |
| Car safety seats | By law, all 50 states require infants and children to ride in approved passenger safety seats.
- Purchase a seat that fits your baby.
- Properly position the seat in the car (rear facing).
- Make sure your child is properly placed in it.
Learn more about selecting and using car safety seats. |
| Airbags | Never put your child's car seat in a passenger side seat with an airbag. |
| Burns | |
| Microwaves | Microwave ovens heat food unevenly causing "hot spots" and should not be used to heat formula or solids for your baby. |
| While holding baby | Do not drink hot liquids or smoke tobacco products while holding a baby. Hot drinks or ashes could spill onto the child, causing burns. |
| Hot water temperature | Your hot water heater should be set at 120 degrees Fahrenheit or less. |
| Fire safety | Smoke, heat and carbon monoxide detectors should be present on each level of home.
Your child's sleep clothing should be flame retardant.
Chairs and sofas should be made of flame retardant materials. |
| Sunburns | To prevent sunburn, babies under 6 months of age should be kept out of direct sunlight. If your baby must be in the sun, use sunscreens, long clothing, and a hat with a brim. Don't put sunscreen on areas where the infant may lick it off. |
| More information | Read more about burns. |
| Drowning | |
| Bathing | When bathing your child, never leave him or her alone, even if the water in the tub is shallow. |
| Bucket danger | Many children have drowned in buckets of water. Never leave buckets of water where your infant could crawl into them. Empty them promptly and store them out of baby's reach. |
| More information | Read about protecting your child from drowning hazards. |
| Falls | |
| Changing tables | Never leave your child alone on a changing table or other height. |
| Walkers | Avoid them. They cause falls and actually retard the development of walking. |
| Miscellaneous and deliberate injury | |
| Pets | Never leave your child alone with a pet. |
| Safety gates | Install them before your child can crawl or roll. |
| Shaken baby syndrome | Never, ever shake a baby or infant. It can lead to permanent brain damage, even death. Learn more... |
| Toys | Make sure your baby's toys pass safety requirements.
Regularly check the U.S. Consumers Product Safety Commission's toy hazard recall list and remove any recalled toys from your home. |
| Poisons | |
| Carbon monoxide | Carbon monoxide detectors should be present on each level of home.
|
| Tobacco smoke | Regular exposure to tobacco smoke worsens childhood respiratory infections, asthma and increases the risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). |
| Mold | Standing water with constantly wet walls or floors encourages excessive growth of molds, some of which can cause serious lung problems. Tobacco smoke increases the damage. Repair water leaks and eliminate standing water and replace constantly wet wood or wallboard. |
| Baby powders | When shaking it out of the container, do so away from your baby. The powder crystals can be inhaled and cause lung irritation. |
| Sudden infant death syndrome | |
| SIDS | To prevent sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)...
- Always put your baby on his or her back to sleep.
- Avoid loose or soft bedding.
- Do not allow tobacco smoke in the house.
|
| Suffocation and choking | |
| Bedding | Do not place a baby on or near soft bedding, including comforters, fluffy toys, pillows, and waterbeds. Read bedding for baby tip. |
| Sleeping position | Always put your baby to sleep on his or her back. |
| Mattress covers | Never use loose mattress covers or cover the mattress with a plastic bag. |
| Playpens | Mesh openings should be no farther apart than ¼ inch or 6 mm. |
| Solid and hard foods | Don't give solid food to children until they are ready for it, at least age 3 months or older.
Don't give hard foods (candy, etc.) to any child less than 4 years old. |
| Balloons | Don't allow your child to have latex (rubber) balloons. Mylar balloons are safer. But keep balloon ribbons or strings away from infants; they may become entangles in them and choke. |
| Window blinds | Check that vertical blinds, continuous looped blinds and drapery cords have tension or tie-down devices to hold the cords tight and prevent choking. |
| Drawstrings and cords | Avoid strings or ties around the head or neck.
Do not loop a cord around a baby's neck to hold a pacifier or for any other reason. |