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Basic InformationMore InformationLatest NewsGene Research May Help Spot Baby's Obesity RiskDocs Use 3-D Printer to Create Lifesaving Airway Device for InfantBed-Sharing Raises SIDS Risk Fivefold, Study FindsHealth Tip: Manage Visitors After Bringing Home BabyParents Will Push for Medication, Even If Doc Says Not NeededFour in 10 Babies Given Solid Foods Too Early, Study FindsGene Disorder Screen Benefits Baby Boys, Girls Equally: StudyInfants' Inattentiveness Might Signal Later Autism, Study SaysTechnique IDs Deadliest Whooping Cough CasesGenes Changes Seen in Alzheimer's Can Be Found in Infancy: StudyAAP Updates Screening Guide for Retinopathy of PrematurityBoys With Undescended Testicles at Higher Risk for Testicular Cancer: StudySleep Positioners Linked to Infant Suffocation: CDCMassage Therapy May Enhance Immunity in Preterm InfantsRisk Factors for Childhood Overweight ID'd in InfancyWorse Outcomes for Mother-Infant Pairs in Separate ICUsParents' Love in Infancy Pays Off Later, Study FindsSecondhand Smoke Ups Babies' Risk of Asthma, Study SaysVirus Patterns Where Kids Live May Affect Asthma RiskNo Long-Term Effects Seen for Letting Infants Cry Before SleepScientists ID New Gene Linked to Vision Loss in InfantsMom's HIV Drugs May Pass to Baby in Womb, Breast-FeedingDad's Early Engagement With Son May Shape Behavior LaterKeep Infants Out of Sun and Heat, Experts WarnGay or Straight, Parents Too Tired for Sex, Study SuggestsMagnets in iPad2 May Alter Settings on Brain Shunt Devices: Study Links |
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Baby Safety ContinuedAngela Oswalt, MSWCar Safety
Make sure infants are always buckled in safely in an approved car seat when a car is moving. The safest place for infants to ride in a car is the middle of the back seat. Parents may prefer having babies in the front seat so that they can watch and soothe their babies, but this is a very dangerous spot for infants in case of an accident. Babies and children under the age of twelve should never ride in the front of a car with activated air bags. It's safer for parents to pull over to console a crying baby than to bring them up front while continuing to drive.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Commission reports that 80 percent of car seats are used or installed improperly. Caregivers should be careful in reading car seat installation and use directions, and can go to any police station to have the car seat installation and use checked for accuracy. Children will need different car seats as they grow taller and gain weight.
Safety on the Move
As babies become more mobile and start to develop their gross and fine motor skills, they will want to grab, climb, put into their mouth, and play with anything they can. Parents and caregivers need to childproof their homes to prevent the baby from having access to poisonous substances, items that could burn them, items they could choke on or otherwise hurt them, and objects they could trip over while walking. For more information on childproofing a home for children of all ages, see the see childproofing article for more information.
Preparing for the Worst
Even when parents take all the precautions possible, accidents do happen, and they need to be prepared for those times as well. It's better to be prepared and never use certain skills than to be unprepared and not have certain skills when they are needed. Keep a list of important phone numbers by the phone at all times, such as the Poison Control Hotline, 9-1-1, the pediatrician, and other important caregivers or family members. Parents and caregivers should be certified in infant and child CPR and First Aid so that they can provide rescue breathing and CPR, dislodge items from the airway of a choking child, and provide basic first aid. Both the American Red Cross and the American Heart Association provide these certifications. While these techniques save lives every day, they can also be harmful if done incorrectly. It's important to take a course ahead of time in order to learn and to practice correct techniques before they are needed and to have to depend on a diagram and intuition in the stress of a life-threatening event.
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