Look out, baby’s about. From three months old, babies get increasingly mobile. Keeping your home becomes a fulltime job for a while.
Small babies can be surprisingly quick, especially after five months old. She is not ready to learn about the dangers yet, so you will need to keep her out of harm's way.
Eventually, you will be able to tell your baby which things are off limits and help her learn a safe way around. Teaching them to go down stairs backwards, over and over again, will help them protect themselves. You could also start using a word like 'ouch' whenever they have a minor mishap so they can start to learn what it means. Then you can use that same word to warn them of things that might cause they same sensation, pointing out things like the hot oven or a sharp edge.
In the meantime, to make your home safe for your baby, you can try to prepare in advance. Some new parents even 'borrow' a friend's baby for an hour to test run which areas of their home need 'baby proofing'.
But before you spend up big on the latest safety 'whatsit' or gadgets, remember that SUPERVISION IS THE ONLY RELIABLE PREVENTION AGAINST ACCIDENTS.
Around the house
- Never shake a baby. Even playfully throwing a baby in the air can injure her fragile spinal column and brain. There are telltale signs of shaken baby syndrome, no matter how it occurs.
- Baby walkers are dangerous and are known to cause accidents. They do not help a baby learn how to walk or balance. Any entertainment value a baby gets from a walker is outweighed by the high possibility of injury.
- Babies love to climb so make sure your furniture is stable, especially bookcases and TV pedestals or cabinets. If furniture is wobbly, remove it from the house or fix it to the wall.
- Curtain tie-backs and window blind cords can strangle a curious little Tarzan. Remove them or hook them well out of reach.
- Babies love to grab tablecloths and pull themselves up. When you make a well deserved cuppa, keep it out of reach and off the table.
- Install a safety gate at the top and bottom of stairs and make sure they are always securely closed.
- Keep medicines, cleaning fluids and other poisons locked away in high cupboards well out of the reach of inquisitive little hands.
- Prevent scalds by turning down your hot water system to 50°C.
- Be prepared for emergencies by keeping a list of numbers by your phone. Keep a well stocked first aid kit and consider doing a first aid course which covers techniques such as CPR .
It's normal for babies to put things in their mouths – be it food, toys or Mum's favourite earrings – so regularly scan the house for small objects that may be choking hazards. Older children may enjoy a daily hunt to help look for small toy parts or other potentially dangerous objects lying around. Things to look out for include:
- pen lids
- small bits of construction toys
- hardened pieces of food on the floor
- anything smaller than a D-size battery
And make sure you know what to do if baby is choking.
In the bedroom
- Nappy changes: When changing baby, be sure to keep one hand on her all the time so she doesn’t fall. And never leave her unattended on a change table – she can squirm or wriggle off in seconds.
- Sleep safety: Keep pillows, fluffy toys, cot bumpers and other soft things out of her cot to prevent SIDS and suffocation.
In the kitchen
- A dangling toaster cord is tempting to pull so keep appliance cords from hanging over the edge of the bench.
- When cooking, turn saucepan handles inwards and use the back stove elements (rather than the front ones) when possible. Do not hold your baby while you're cooking.
- Keep washing up liquid, insect sprays and other chemicals locked away and up high.
In the bathroom
- Never leave your baby alone in the bath, even for a second. It takes no time for a baby to drown and it is both quick and silent. Make sure you have everything you need when you start. If you need to leave the bathroom to get something, take her with you.
- Heat bath water to 37º-38º C and be VERY careful when adding hot water to warm up the bath - baby can very easily reach out or slip into the stream of burning water.
- Lock soaps and medicines away up high.
In the car and outside
- Always buckle up baby in the proper car restraints appropriate to her age and size. Never travel with her on your knee.
- Don't be tempted to leave her in the car while you pop into the shop - It is against the law. Babies overheat very quickly in cars so always take her with you.
- When outdoors, remember the sunscreen and a hat. Babies burn very easily so choose a sunscreen with a high protection factor and take the opportunity at this early age to make a habit of wearing a hat for all outside play.
Spinal column: The spine; the backbone
Shaken baby syndrome: A set of injuries, particularly to the head and neck, that occurs when an infant is violently shaken.