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Accident Prevention and Safety Promotion for Parents and Caregivers of Infants

Introduction

In the United States, infants are the most commonly injured children. Every year, over a million infants are injured by their caregivers or other adults in their homes. Parents and caregivers play an important role in minimizing these injuries by following safe practices when caring for their young babies. Following these tips will help you keep your baby safe at home:

Safe sleeping environment

• Place your infant on his or her back to sleep.

• Avoid soft bedding and loose bedding, such as blankets, pillows and comforters.

• Don’t place your baby in a crib with other children; this can lead to suffocation from entrapment in the mattress cover. Instead, place him or her safely on top of an adult-sized mattress (which should be at least 36 inches long). A firm mattress is best for babies because it provides support for their bodies while they become stronger over time.* Keep the room at a comfortable temperature: between 68°F and 72°F degrees are recommended for safe sleeping environments.* Use a firm mattress pad made specifically for infants that fits securely around its edges so it doesn’t shift during any activity such as breastfeeding or playing with toys

Examine the sleeping area

• Check the mattress. A firm, snug-fitting mattress is essential to a safe sleeping environment. Make sure that there are no gaps between the mattress and any surfaces in your child’s crib—including sides, headboards or footboards, and walls.

• Watch for cracks in your child’s crib frame as well as loose pieces of wood that could fall out at any time. If you notice any holes or gaps in these areas, call a professional immediately!

Use a safe crib mattress

You can help keep your baby safe by using a safe crib mattress. A firm, water-resistant crib mattress without holes or tears is best. Avoid waterbed mattresses, which can be unsafe.

You will also want to use a fitted sheet to secure the mattress in place and keep it from shifting during use. Once your child reaches about two years old, you may want to remove the fitted sheet altogether so that he or she can climb out of bed at night on his own if needed (and don’t forget about those baby gateways!). Keep in mind that babies should never sleep with adults because they might accidentally suffocate them while sleeping!

Keep all windows and doors closed when not in use; this prevents drafts from entering through cracks between walls and floors—which could cause suffocation hazards for infants who spend long periods lying flat against surfaces like walls or floors while they sleep (or any other time when they’re awake). Also make sure there are no gaps between where one surface meets another–this helps prevent entrapment situations where lumps of cloth come off easily due to friction caused by movement across surfaces during playtime activities like crawling around furniture pieces nearby.”

Blankets, pillows, and stuffed animals in the crib

When you’re buying a crib, keep in mind that blankets and pillows can be suffocation hazards for your baby.

• Blankets: A blanket hanging over the sides of the crib has been shown to cause asphyxiation in babies.

• Pillows: Putting pillows under your baby’s head or body can block their airway if they roll over onto them while sleeping (when they turn around).

• Stuffed animals: Using stuffed animals as toys may lead to suffocation if one gets lodged into an infant’s throat while they sleep (or even when they are awake).

Heating appliances

• Use a space heater only if it has a thermostat. If you can’t turn off the heat when needed, a space heater is not the right choice for your child’s room.

• Never use a space heater to dry clothing. Space heaters are designed to provide warm air and help keep rooms warmer than they would be without an appliance like this one in place—but they’re not meant to be used as drying racks!

• Keep space heaters at least 3 feet away from anything that can burn (like curtains) or something else that might catch fire (such as furniture). Also keep them away from any area where there’s water present; this includes bathrooms!

Electrical safety around the house

• Avoid electrical cords and wires.

• Keep electrical appliances away from water.

• Do not use humidifiers in the crib or bassinet, as they may be a fire hazard if the cord is exposed to heat or smoke (which could also cause burns).

• Use a surge protector for your computer that has been tested and approved by Underwriters Laboratories (UL), which ensures it will not overheat when it’s plugged into an outlet that was damaged by lightning strike or power surge damage

Smoking in the home

Smoking is hazardous to the health of infants. It is a known cause of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and other respiratory problems, as well as lower birth weight and ear infections.

Even if you don’t smoke yourself, your baby’s environment may contain cigarette smoke residue from other family members or visitors who do smoke. You should ask them not to smoke around your infant at home or when visiting with you in public places such as restaurants or stores where there are children present (including grandparents).

Supervision of your infant

• Supervise your infant at all times.

• Don’t leave your infant alone in a car.

• Don’t leave your infant alone on a change table or sofa, even if you have someone watching you do it (e.g., a parent or caregiver). If there’s no other way to supervise the baby, put something between them and whatever they’re playing with (e.g., an inflatable ball), so they can’t reach it easily but can still see what’s going on around them—like putting an iPad between two toddlers playing together at the park!

Bottle-feeding caution

Bottle-feeding caution

• Never leave a baby unattended while bottle-feeding.

• Never feed a baby from a bottle that has been warmed in the microwave.

• Do not use a bottle warmer as it may cause burns to your baby’s mouth and throat.

Infant car seats

• Use a car seat that is appropriate for your baby’s age.

• Make sure the car seat is installed correctly.

• Always buckle the baby into the car seat.

• Check the expiration date on your car seat, and replace it if necessary.

• Keep your infant’s vehicle seats clean, dry, and free from damage as much as possible to avoid any injuries from moisture or rusting materials (e.-g., metal buckles).

Ensure that your baby is in a safe environment and learn about some common household hazards to avoid.

It is important for parents to know how to ensure that their baby is safe and happy. They should also be aware of the common household hazards that can cause injury or death.

To keep your child safe, here are some things you should do:

• Make sure your home is free from hazardous items such as chemicals, electrical appliances and furniture. If you have an infant at home then it might be best not to have any sharp objects lying around since they can easily hurt them if they get into their hands while playing with them.

• Keep your car seat belt on during all rides in cars; even if there isn’t someone else in the vehicle with you (e.g., when driving alone). This will help prevent injuries due to sudden braking by other drivers who may not see another vehicle approaching very closely behind theirs!

Conclusion

If you are looking for advice on how to prevent a baby from being injured in an accident, we hope that the information in this article is helpful. The most important thing is to be aware of your surroundings and what hazards may be present. Don’t let other people’s negligence cause harm to your child!