Whether you’re home or on the road, keeping your baby safe is your top priority. With the following tips, you can keep your little one safe wherever life takes you.
- Staying Safe in the Car
As a new parent, traveling by car with your infant – whether it’s down the street or across the country – can be overwhelming. But it doesn’t need to be! With some basic safety tips, you can relax knowing your little one is secure in the back seat. For starters, be sure you’re using a federally-approved car seat that has been properly installed. Check your local Safe Kids chapter to see if they offer car seat checks before you deliver your baby. Always read your car seat’s instruction manual and follow its directions to ensure you properly position the harness and chest clip. And, if you’re traveling in the winter, don’t dress your child in heavy coats or place blankets underneath the harness. This can make your car seat less effective should an accident occur.
- Staying Safe in the Shopping Cart
Despite the warnings, many new parents don’t realize balancing their infant carriers on top of the shopping cart is dangerous. As a result, hundreds of preventable accidents occur each year. The next time you shop with your infant, use carts equipped with Safe-Dock, the first universal car seat docking station for shopping carts. It securely contains most infant carriers sold in the United States, allowing you to conveniently transition your little one from the car to the cart without disturbing them. If your store doesn’t offer Safe-Dock, you may request it here. In the meantime, practice safe shopping by placing your infant carrier in the basket of the shopping cart, baby wearing, or roaming the store’s aisles with both a stroller and grocery cart.
- Staying Safe in the Crib
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, between 1992 and 2010, nearly 700 infants died due to unsafe sleep environments. With those numbers in mind, what can you do to keep your baby safe in their crib? First, put your baby to sleep on his or her back to prevent suffocation, and ensure the mattress tightly fits into the crib. Even if it’s cold outside, don’t use thick blankets or quilts; instead, consider a wearable blanket or swaddle, for a young infant. Finally, keep everything extraneous out of your baby’s crib. This includes pillows and toys, which can cause suffocation or choking. Bare is best!
With these simple tips, you’ll be equipped to keep your baby safe wherever you go.
