The safety business

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Article Summary

Your baby or toddler depends on you to keep them safe and help them explore.

From the moment you learn you're pregnant, keeping your baby safe is your number one concern. Babies and small children depend on you to keep them safe, and at the same time you have to allow them to explore their world and make new discoveries every day. Safety is mostly about common sense - and a learned watchfulness. It means making changes in your environment as your baby moves through each development stage. Anticipating what will be needed is the key part of the safety game. Setting up safe ways and places for your baby to explore works better than planning to watch your baby every second, which is an impossible task.

The safety rules change with your baby's age, but some general principles of safety apply to every child. Read the following checklist for the best safety rules of thumb. For more age-specific safety information, see our safety by age tool .

 Never shake a baby

 Never leave your baby alone

 Prevent burns and promote fire safety

 Lower the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)

 Drive safely

 Baby-proof your home

 Check for gas

 Prevent choking

 Stop smoking

 Prevent drowning/promote water safety

 Little Safety Tips

Never shake a baby

Taking care of a baby is a tough job and in the early days it's often difficult to work out why your baby is crying. Feeling angry and frustrated sometimes is normal. But no matter how frustrated you get, NEVER shake or jiggle your baby violently. Shaking a baby, even playfully, can cause bleeding in his brain and tear nerves and muscles. Shaken Baby Syndrome can result in blindness, brain damage or death. If you feel yourself losing control, seek help from your partner, a friend or relative, or a professional. It is nothing to be ashamed about - everyone needs help with children this young. Never play games that require rough shaking, swinging or jostling of a young child.

Never leave your baby alone

Even newborns can occasionally turn over or move around, so never leave your baby alone in the bath or on a raised surface like a changing table or bed. If the phone rings, take the baby with you (or let the answer machine take the call). Accidents can happen in an instant and your child needs an adult with him at all times.

Prevent burns and promote fire safety

 Install smoke alarms, especially where your baby sleeps, and put fire extinguishers on every floor of your house. Check the batteries every week, or at least every month.
 Use fire-resistant or flame-retardant clothing, bedding and toys.
 Turn down your hot water heater - 49 degrees C/120 degrees F is a good setting for households with small children. You can prevent burns and still get the dishes and the clothes clean.
 Replace free-standing electric heaters with radiators or another type of heating. Always use a fireguard where there is an open fire
 Move all appliances with cords so that the cords cannot be reached by your baby.
 Cover all open electric sockets with socket covers.
 The Department of Health recommends that all very young infants should be kept out of the sun completely- the sun can hurt your baby's sensitive skin. When taking your baby out on hot days, avoid direct sunlight. Cover your baby's skin with protective clothing and use a hat which shields the eyes and face.

Lower the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)

 Put your baby on his back to go to sleep. Research has shown that putting babies to sleep on their backs lowers their risk of SIDS by as much as 70 per cent. But make sure he spends some of his waking hours on his tummy (while supervised) to discover, explore and strengthen his shoulders.
 Keep your baby's room warm, but not too warm. If his room is warmer than 18 degrees C/65 degrees F or if he's overheated by too many blankets or clothes, he may be at greater risk from SIDS. Do the "tummy test" - if his tummy feels hot, even though his feet and hands feel cold, take off some layers.
 Keep your baby's head uncovered as he sleeps. The most reliable way to do this is to place him in the "feet to foot" position. Your baby's feet should be close to the foot of his cot, with his covers coming no higher than his chest. The "feet to foot" position prevents your baby shuffling down his cot, under the covers and overheating.
 Make sure he sleeps on a firm mattress which conforms to British Standard Nos. 1872/7177. Fluffy, soft surfaces can obstruct your baby's breathing. Do not use thick quilts, comforters or sheepskin under or over the baby. Avoid waterbeds. Toys and pillows shouldn't be too big or too plush; infants should not have pillows or large stuffed toys in their cots at all. Finally, make sure bumper pads are secure.
 Babies should never sleep with a hot water bottle or electric blanket, next to radiators or in direct sunlight.
 No smoking around your baby. Babies exposed to second-hand smoke are at least twice as likely to die of SIDS. If your baby seems to be unwell, always seek the advice of a doctor.

Drive safely

You and your baby spend a lot of time in the car, so it's important to make the time and effort to be sure the car is safe. Car accidents are one of the leading causes of death and injury in children.

 It is illegal and dangerous not to restrain an infant when travelling in the car. Always use a car seat that's appropriate for the age and size of your child. More on car seats. Almost all children badly injured or killed in car accidents were not properly restrained in car seats, or sitting in car seats that were not properly installed. Don't ever give in to a child's desire to travel anywhere but in the car seat. Install the seat according to the manufacturers' instructions.

 Under no circumstances should a car seat be used in the front of a car fitted with a front passenger airbag.
 Never leave your child alone in the car - not even for a minute!
 Don't smoke in the car.
 Use automatic door and window locks and keep them set for each journey.
 Be a good role model - belt up every time and drive safely.

Baby-proof your home

The term "baby-proofing" is something of a misnomer, since there is no such thing as a completely baby-proofed house. You will always have to keep a close eye on your baby, and an especially close eye when you're somewhere other than your own home. You can take these basic steps to make your home as safe as possible:

 Take a trip through the house on your hands and knees, looking at it from your baby's perspective. You will quickly notice many looming dangers. Make a list of what you find and take steps to make them safe.
 Get as many electrical cords and appliances out of the way as possible. Before you operate any appliance, make sure you can see the baby and that he's far away from what you're doing.
 Cover all open electric sockets with socket covers.
 Put all cleaning supplies, medicines (prescription and over-the-counter), alcohol, vitamins and anything else that would harm your baby if ingested up high where he can't see and reach it. Lock those cupboards.
 Use cupboard safety latches.
 Block stairs with secure stair gates, and secure doors and windows with high latches and locks.
 Put blind and curtain cords out of reach.
 Avoid using tablecloths, covers and doilies that your baby can use to pull objects off a table.
 Make sure grandparents and childminders adequately baby-proof their homes as well.

Check for gas

 Radon, a naturally emitted radioactive gas, is a cancer-causing health hazard that can collect in tightly closed houses, such as those in cold climates and in the lower levels of houses. Babies and toddlers are especially at risk because the gas collects close to the floor. Your home can be checked free of charge if you live in a high-risk area, otherwise you will have to pay a moderate fee.
 Carbon monoxide is a colourless, odourless gas, which at high concentrations can lead to unconsciousness and death. Children are most susceptible to carbon monoxide toxicity. The principle risk comes from faulty or poorly maintained gas appliances and inadequate ventilation.
 Carbon monoxide detectors are important if you heat your house using gas. Make sure that the batteries are always working.

Prevent choking

Choking is a leading cause of accidental death among children under 5. Fortunately, choking can be prevented. Follow these guidelines:

 Avoid foods that can choke - This includes burgers and sausages, whole grapes, nuts, hard sweets and raw carrots. Always feed your baby when he is sitting up, in your lap or in an infant chair. Make sure your toddler sits at the table and doesn't walk or run with food in his mouth.
 Safe toys - Soft toys should be washable, stuffed with fireproof material and have no loose pieces such as eyes or buttons. If toys break up into pieces, no piece should be small enough to pose a choking hazard. Don't use any toys that have strings, fasteners, buttons or chipping paint. And avoid rubber balloons and small balls.
 Clothing - Check clothes for loose strings or ribbons or anything that could wrap round your baby's small fingers or toes. Avoid drawstrings on clothes that can get caught in car doors or toy equipment such as bicycle wheels.

Stop smoking

A smoke-free house is healthy for everyone who lives there, especially your baby. No one should smoke around a baby, including babysitters or grandparents. People unwilling to stop smoking should abstain from smoking in a baby's house or should smoke outside. If you or someone in your house smokes, you have many reasons to stop - if not for your sake, then for your baby's.

 Babies in smoking households are at least twice as likely to die from SIDS.
 Children in smoking households get more chest colds, ear infections, sore throats, asthma, pneumonia, burns and other health problems compared with children in non-smoking households.
 Smokers' houses are at greater risk from fire and fire-related injuries.

Prevent drowning/promote water safety

A large proportion of accidental deaths in the UK can be accounted for by drowning. Young children are especially at risk, not only because they don't know how to swim, but also because they can drown in a very small amount of water.

 Never let your child out of your sight near any pool of water, including toilets, buckets, fountains, swimming pools, paddling pools, lakes, ponds or the sea.
 Children of any age need to be directly supervised around any swimming pool or body of water.
 Keep the bathroom off-limits for infants and toddlers, except for when they are directly supervised.
 If you have a pool, enclose it with a fence taller than 4 feet that has a locked gate. If you live near a public swimming pool, get it up to standard.
 Swimming lessons for young toddlers can give parents a false sense of security. You must always supervise your children when they're in the water, even if they've had swimming lessons. Young swimmers can still get out of their depth, or swallow too much water, and panic.
 On boat trips, it is advised that everyone, but especially children, should wear a well-fitting, regulation life jacket. Make sure that all life jackets are sized appropriately for each person on board and teach your older children safety rules and boat etiquette.
 Water wings, plastic rings and other devices do not ensure safety for young children in the water. Watch your children directly at all times. If your child is under 2 years old, you should be in the water with him at all times.

Little Safety Tips

 Don't put dummies or necklaces around your young infant's neck. A cord or necklace can too easily get caught and strangle him.
 Before you buy any baby equipment, check for safety information. Everything you buy should pass British standards.
 Never refer to medicine as sweets.
 Put all visitors' handbags and luggage out of sight and reach of your child.
 Make sure carrying devices such as baby carriers and pushchairs are suitable for your child's age and stage of development.

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