Top 5 mistakes that new parents should avoid

~~September is Baby Safety Month ~~

Top Five Mistakes from Safe Kids:

1. Not having a safe sleep environment. Put babies back to sleep in cribs that meet safety standards of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) with a firm, tight fitting mattress. Remove pillows, loose sheets or blankets, stuffed toys, crib bumpers, sleep positioners and other soft bedding products before putting babies to sleep.


2.Holding a baby while cooking or carrying hot foods and liquids. Most scald burns in young children, especially in those ages 6 months to 2 years, are from spilled hot foods and liquids. If you need to cook or carry something hot, first strap the baby into a bouncy chair or high chair.


3.Leaving a baby unattended in the tub or near sinks, buckets and containers filled with water. The main reason babies drown is lack of supervision - often for a very short amount of time. Babies can slip out of bath seats, fall out of baby tubs, or tip forward or sideways into the water and drown in seconds. Children under 1 year usually drown in bathtubs, 5-gallon buckets, and toilets. Never leave a baby unattended in or near water - even for a second.


4.Turning infants facing-forward too early. For the best possible protection, keep your infant in a rear-facing child safety seat in a back seat for as long as possible - up to the height or weight limit of the particular seat. The "12-months-and-20-pounds" rule that many parents cite when turning their child forward in the car is actually the minimum size and age requirement. Never turn a child forward-facing before age 1 and at least 20 pounds, although keeping kids rear-facing until about age 2 is safer if the seat allows.


5.Underestimating a baby's abilities and limitations. Babies will wiggle, kick, roll over, mouth their toys, move around, pull up, crawl, take her first steps and walk. Even if she can't do all of these things right now, there’s always a first time. As babies grow, they may have different abilities and limitations that put them at risk for injury. Parents should think ahead and ask themselves what they need to do to make their house a safe place for little ones, and they should share this information with other caregivers.
Baby Safety Month is an annual observance led by the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association since 1991. To learn more about this year's focus, "JPMA Certification is the Key to Caring," visit www.jpma.org/bsm/2009.

~~Leslie~~