| |
Safety: Increased measures
The new skills your baby is acquiring require increased safety measures. Basic safety issues for infants include...
Helpful tipsIn addition to these tips, see our safety checklist for a list of items to consider:
Give your baby a safe ride. Your baby's car seat must fit your baby, and be properly positioned when you travel. The safest place in a car for babies is in the middle of the back seat. If you have passenger side air bags, never use that seat for your infant.
Smell smoke and more. Smoke, heat and carbon monoxide detectors reduce the risk of injury to your infant and to your whole family. Each level of your home should have one. Regularly check the batteries or electrical connection .
Prevent falls. You never know when your baby will learn to roll over. Never leave him or her unattended on a table or other surface from which he or she might fall.
Never, ever shake a baby. Frustrated parents and crying, fragile babies can make a lethal combination: shaken baby syndrome. This occurs when babies are shaken by their caregivers.
Babies have weak neck muscles that do not fully support their heads. When shaken, the fragile brain is whiplashed back and forth within the skull tearing delicate blood vessels and bruising the brain itself.
Crying can get on your nerves. If it does, take a break, count to 10 or walk away for a minute or two. Don't let yourself do something that will change your baby's life forever.
Do not use necklaces or cords. Necklaces or cords, such as those used to suspend a pacifier, can strangle your baby.
Class: Car seat safety Class: Infant CPR
Source: Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota
First published: 05/07/2001
Last updated: 10/18/2005
Reviewed by: Jennifer Rogan, MD, Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota
|