Safety Proofing Favorite Tips and Products

There is SO MUCH to do involving safety proofing for babies, this is not an all inclusive list, only some of our favorite products, tips and tricks.

SAFETY PROOFING TIPS:

1. Get on the ground on your hands and knees. What do you see? What can you access?
2. Don’t go overboard padding and locking down everything. Some children are more curious than others. The “wait and see” approach works as long as you are able to monitor your baby in the potentially unsafe spaces. There are some spaces that it’s okay to try to utilize the “just say no” philosophy.

Sleeping area:

Bumpers: None. They aren’t recommended.

Positioners/Pillows: None they aren’t recommended.

Crib itself: We love milk street for their quality and safety standards, but any crib that is flat with no gaps in the mattress and the bars <2.5 inches apart and no dropside should be considered safe.

Carseats:

All carseats on the market have passed safety standards. Find a local CPST in your area to recommend on the right carseat for your car and to have the installation checked.

Changing Table:

Always have one hand on your baby! Changing tables with a lip/ledge to prevent babies from rolling off are helpful measures too.

Staircases:

Always properly monitor or gate off staircases. Make sure any gates at the top of the stairs are made for that! You can’t just put any pressure gate at the top.

Bureaus, Bookcases, Tv’s:

Anchor, anchor, anchor! Make sure anything that could fall on your baby is securely attached to the wall.

Cabinets:

Focus on the danger ones-knives and chemicals. How you childproof these completely depends on the type of cabinet that you have.

Sharp Corners on tables/surfaces:

We love stick on soft protectors like these .

Outlets:

This is probably the most commonly known safety rule. Plug up your outlets! If you’re getting a new home they can retrofit them with safety outlets, or you can use any of the protectors that you push in. [Eventually some preschoolers will figure out how to pull them out.]

Bath Time:

Temperature: Newborn babies do best with water that is slightly warmer than skin temperature. It shouldn’t feel hot, but shouldn’t feel cold either. Putting a facecloth on baby’s chest if it’s out of the water can help keep them warm too.

Drowning: Babies can drown in an inch of water. Never take your eyes off of them. Make sure you are monitoring that their full head is kept out of the water.

Blinds:

Strings from blinds can be a deadly hazard. Get stringless blinds if you can, or make sure that they are tied up high and out of reach.

If you live in the Boston area you should check out Safe Beginnings!