Baby-proofing Tips
Baby-proofing your house can reduce the chance of injury, but you or an adult you trust should always be close by watching your baby. Make sure other caregivers baby-proof their homes, too.
- Your baby is beginning to crawl and roll around. Get down on your hands and knees often to notice things your baby could find or reach.
- Clean the floor often. Pick up things your baby may try to put in his or her mouth. Babies can choke on a penny, button, balloon, plastic bag, battery, and small toys.
- Always keep at least one hand on your baby when he or she is on a bed, sofa, or changing table.
- Put breakable things out of reach.
- Use safety cover plates on your outlets that cover the whole outlet.
- Keep cords, such as those on window shades, phones, and lamps, out of reach or taped to the wall. Babies can be strangled by cords. They can also pull things down on themselves.
- Put safety gates at the top and bottom of stairs. Also put gates in doorways to rooms that are not baby-proofed. Keep gates closed and latched.
- Store all cleaners, poisons, vitamins, and medicines on a high shelf in a locked closet or cabinet. Put latches on drawers and cupboard doors.
- Keep your baby away from the stove, oven, and microwave when hot food is taken out.
- Make sure you have at least one working smoke detector and one working carbon monoxide detector in your home. Check them monthly and change the battery as directed in the instructions.
- Secure TVs and furniture to the wall using mounts, brackets, braces, anchors, or wall straps to prevent them from tipping over.
Baby Walkers Are Dangerous
Walkers are never safe to use, even with an adult close by. Most walker injuries happen while adults are watching. It's hard for you or your baby’s other caregivers to move quickly enough to prevent injuries. A child in a walker can move more than three feet in one second! Instead of a walker, try a stationary activity center without wheels and place it away from stairs, hot appliances, and window cords.
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