Home Safety
Bedroom
Your child's bedroom is often the place your child feels most secure. To make sure that there are no safety hazards in the bedroom...
- Nursery Furniture & Equipment
- Even very young babies can roll off a change table or bed. Keep one hand on the baby at all times or change your baby on the floor.
- Cribs made before September 1, 1986, are not safe. If you've bought your crib second-hand, check the date (which is printed on the crib). Also make sure the mattress fits snugly and that there are no spaces in the headboard where a child's head could be caught.
- Never put a pillow in the crib.
- Keep the lids of diaper pails closed tightly to prevent children from falling in.
- Toys
- Be careful where you place mobiles. Mobiles with long strings may strangle a child.
- Pacifiers and rattles should be in excellent condition with no broken parts. Do not allow your child to sleep with a pacifier.
- A toy chest should have a lightweight lid with air holes cut into it, or no lid at all, so that children don't get trapped inside.
- Check toys for small parts. Use the age guidelines provided on toy packaging. Recommended ages are not geared to developmental stages, but intended to alert you to small parts which are not suitable for small children.
- Other Things to Watch For
- Tie up the cords of curtains and blinds. Children can be strangled by loose cords.
- Keep the crib out of direct sunlight, which can cause burns.
