Baby safety tips you have to know

1. Baby Safety Tips You Have to Know
Your child’s safety is your responsibility. The following tips should help you keep your baby out of harm’s way
from birth through his toddler years.
Baby Safety in the Car
Always use a federally approved car safety seat when traveling in a motor vehicle.
Carefully read safety seat instructions to ensure that the seat has been properly installed.
NEVER carry your infant in your lap while you ride in a car.
For the first two years of a baby’s life, car seats should face the rear of the vehicle. The safest location for the car
seat is the middle of the back seat.
NEVER put the baby in the front passenger seat of cars, especially those with airbags. If you have a truck with no
back seat, you should disengage the airbag while the baby’s seat is in the car.
To minimize the risk that a child will accidentally be left behind in a car or get trapped inside:
Leave a purse, briefcase, or cell phone in the back seat. That way, you get in the habit of checking in the back seat
before leaving the vehicle.
Make an arrangement with your child’s daycare to have them call you if the child doesn’t show up as expected.
Always lock your car and car trunk, even if the car is parked in the driveway at home, and always keep keys and
fobs out of the reach of little ones.
Preventing Baby Falls
If you use an infant carrier, always place it on the floor, never on a counter or tabletop.
Never leave your baby alone on a bed, couch, changing table, or infant seat from which he or she can fall or roll
off.
Baby Safety, Smoking and Fire Safety
Do not smoke and do not allow smoking around your baby.
Install a working smoke alarm on every level of your home. Change the batteries of your smoke detectors every
six months.
Have at least one fire extinguisher on every level of your home.
If your home uses gas heat, install a carbon monoxide detector.
Preventing Baby Burns
Do not hold hot liquids while holding your baby.
To prevent burns, do not microwave baby’s bottle. Many microwaves heat unevenly, creating “hot spots” in your
baby’s formula that can burn your baby’s mouth. Instead, warm the formula by running warm tap water over the
bottle or submerging the bottle in a bowl of warm water. Make sure you test the temperature on your hand or
wrist before feeding it to your baby.
Keep your hot water heater’s thermostat at no higher than 120 degrees Farenheit.