How do I keep my Baby Safe from Accidents in my own Home?
From birth though their early years, our children are completely dependent on us as parents and carers for their safety and well being. Although most of us are aware of the need to follow our moving baby around constantly checking for dangers signs as they explore, very few new parents are aware of the potential dangers newborns are exposed to in the home.
Although not yet on the move, babies under six months are capable of rolling movements that can suddenly destabilise a bouncer balanced on a table, or roll off a changing station if unsupervised, or simply work their way to the edge and fall off an armchair or sofa. In the year 2000, a staggering 20,000 injuries were recorded for children under the age of six months, and over 83% of those were caused at home. As a simple rule, join your baby at their level (on the floor) and try wherever possible to keep your child away from higher surfaces. If you do have a changing station, make sure you use a changing mat with a built in stability or harness system.
As baby starts to move, a whole new world opens up to him, and a whole new load of worries open up to us. Areas that were previously out of reach become a playground to explore for our little ones, and areas of our home we previously never considered could be hazardous, suddenly keep us awake at night.
There are three golden rules to babyproofing:
First look down. Try to see your home from your child’s perspective. Make a checklist of all potential dangers that your child may encounter, both as they are first crawling and as they learn to be more secure on their feet.
Secondly look up. Sooner or later you will have a mini mountaineer on your hands. That high up cupboard, the bookshelf, even the top of the television all become places your child may want to conquer.
Thirdly and most importantly, be prepared!
Preparation is the key. From the earliest stages, make sure you are prepared for bath time, for meal time, for changing time, for play time for sleep time. Make sure you have everything you need within reach. If for any reason you do forget something, never leave your child unsupervised, not even for the amount of time it takes to run from the bathroom to the closet for an extra towel. As baby learns to move and wants to discover on their own, prepare the world they are discovering and remove all potential dangerous obstacles or your child’s potential to reach them.
In coming articles we will focus on exactly how to baby proof different areas of your home, but a great source of information to get you started is the ‘Safety House’ feature at www.safetots.co.uk.
Tags: baby safety, childproofing