Infant Safety Hazards
Parents try to be as safe and protective as they can but there will be times when a baby will be on their own for a minute or two and in that time it’s unnerving how many accidents happen each year. Research has shown that babies and infants are at a high risk for several types of accidents including falls, suffocation, drowning and burns.
Accidents happen but there are several measures you can take to help prevent minor scrapes and spills from becoming fatal falls. Having a secure, hardware mounted baby safety gate around stairs and other dangerous baby zones is essential to preventing a wayward child from learning the hard way about gravity. Your baby is curious and will do everything he can to squirm, crawl and wiggle his way to a new adventure. Choose a baby safety gate that has narrow openings so your baby won’t be able to squeeze his way through. Refrain from buying a baby walker. Every year thousands of children are rushed to emergency rooms due to baby walker-related accidents, even when supervised. Not only are walkers not proven to help your baby walk they are dangerous vehicles that can easily get a baby’s feet tangled, his head turned the wrong way and a host of other problems.
Unintentional choking and suffocation are the number one cause of infant deaths. It’s natural for parents to want to sleep with their baby, especially if they think it will keep the baby from crying and will allow everyone to get much needed sleep. However, when you’re sleeping you’re not aware of your own body’s movements and it’s very easy for you to roll over and accidentally cut off your baby’s oxygen. If you need you baby close to you then have a crib in the room or one that attaches to the side of your bed. Try not to sleep with a baby in the bed under any circumstances.
It doesn’t take deep water or large waves to cause a drowning fatality. In fact, most drowning deaths occur in very shallow water and believe it or not a small bucket half full of water can be an extreme hazard for a newborn baby. Many parents know the dangers of swimming pools and even kid pools but few truly grasp that the danger of drowning is too much water getting into a baby’s delicate lungs. Half of all infant drowning occurs in bath tubs. Remember that a sponge bath is recommended for babies until they are large enough to handle a bath tub. If you are bathing your baby do not turn your attention away for even a moment. So many potential hazards exist around water that it is not safe to leave any baby unattended for even a few seconds.
Fire and burns are another potential home hazard that needs careful attention from safety-conscious parents. Everyone knows the danger of a real fire and electric sockets but what about hot water or even coffee? If your home water heater is set anywhere above 120 degrees you could be exposing your baby to potential 3rd degree burns. If you live in a building where you don’t have access to the water temperature gauge you can buy devices that will automatically shut water off if it rises above 120 degrees. Another common emergency room situation is the baby burned from coffee or tea since the mommy or daddy tried to juggle the baby and the hot morning beverage and spilled. Hot soup is another potential hazard. Keep your baby away from the stove and anything that’s been on it.