Ways To Keep Your Baby Safe

Your baby needs to be safe. But she also needs to explore. You must decide when to tell her “no.” And you must decide when to let her discover things on her own. You can keep your eight-month-old baby safe. But you always have to stay one step ahead of her!

Baby-proof your house:


• Lock up all of your medicines, vitamins and pills.
• Be careful when visitors come—people often carry medications in their purses or handbags.
• Remove sharp things from your baby’s reach.
• Put covers on all electrical outlets.
• Move all electrical cords and extension cords out of your baby’s reach.
• Keep your baby away from fans and space heaters.
• Put away small things that your baby can swallow.
• Keep cleaners and detergents out of your baby’s reach.
• Put latches on dresser drawers and cupboards.
• Place tight covers on trash cans and diaper pails.
• Keep your toilet lid down. Your baby can fall into the toilet and drown.
• Be sure to cushion the sharp corners and edges of furniture where your baby plays.
• Avoid using any toy chest or other container with a hinged lid that can fall freely and smash small fingers and heads. To learn more about toy chest safety, call the Consumer Product Safety Commission at 1-800-638-2772, or visit their Web site at www.cpsc.gov/.

Prevent falls:

• Do not leave your baby alone on a bed, changing table or chair.
• Do not put furniture on bare floors. Put it on top of rugs or small rubber squares that you can get from the hardware store to hold it in place so it does not slide away from your baby trying to stand up.
• Install safety gates at the top and bottom of stairs. This includes porch stairs.

Prevent drowning:

• Never leave your baby alone in the bathtub.
• Never leave her alone near a swimming pool or any amount of water including a pail of water. It doesn’t take a lot of water to drown a baby.

Closely watching your baby is the best way to keep her safe. Check on her frequently. If you leave the room for a short time, make sure she is in a safe place, such as a crib or a playpen. And be sure to keep a list of emergency phone numbers right next to your telephone.