By John Campanola
Who doesn’t love a baby? They are so small, soft and innocent and totally reliant on others for their care and well being. This responsibility which is placed on many of us – either full-time or for just short periods of time – can sometimes feel awesome.
Baby and toddler safety will appropriately be recognized this month since September has been designated as national Baby Safety Month. Whether you have a child, grandchild, or just know those that do, baby and toddler safety is a major issue in today’s world. Whether you are protecting a baby from potential kidnappers or falling objects, you will need to be on alert at all times, especially when a baby becomes mobile.
Infants need to be protected from the environment, every day hazards such as fire, possibly from jealous siblings and unpredictable pets, burglars and worse, as well as cigarette smoke, poorly constructed or used infant car seats, loose blankets that could cover their faces while sleeping, to name only a few.
With all these potential concerns it is important that you don’t become paranoid. Focus on items that you can do something about. One technique is to view your surroundings the way the small child views it.
Look around the rooms in which the baby will have access and try to spot potential hazards. Look at the electrical outlets, loose electrical cords, staircases, drapery cords, lamps, vases, heavy statues and ashtrays. You will be surprised at how many items a small, crawling, curious child can reach. This is multiplied several times if you have a toddler. After vacuuming the floor you may want to go down on all fours and view it from the child’s vantage point. You may find loose staples, lost earrings and some pocket change.
The list of precautions is rather lengthy but, then again, who wouldn’t agree that a baby is worth the effort? Besides the items I have already mentioned, take a special note of the following:
- While dogs and cats are usually very adaptable and even loving to a small child I would urge caution. Make certain to introduce your pet to the child and carefully watch for their reaction. There is a great deal of excellent material written on this subject. Give me a call and I will be happy to share them with you.
- While it may sound obvious, never leave a baby unattended in a closed car. The temperature in cars, especially in Florida, quickly climb to over 100 degrees and this can be life threatening to the small child.
- Unfortunately, child abuse, and worse, of children is a very real threat. It is written that one out of every ten people is a child predator. While I find this hard to believe, it at a minimum reinforces the vigilance that we need to have when leaving a child with another person.
- If you have a pool or hot tub, consider surrounding it with a locking five foot fence or covering it with a safety cover. You should also add alarms on all doors leading from the house to the pool area and also remove all toys from the pool and surrounding area.
- Develop a fire escape plan with your family and practice it with everyone.
- Check all fire safety equipment. Make sure that smoke alarms are working, fire extinguishers are full and dated and that you know how to use them. Having your smoke alarms monitored provides for the best protection. Also, strategically place flash lights with extra batteries throughout your home in case of an emergency.
- While they may be too young to understand everything, talk to the child above stove and oven safety. They need to know that they can get hot and that they should never be touched. When cooking make certain you turn pan/pot handles in to help avoid their falling and possibly causing harm.
- Lock up cupboards and cabinets that contain detergents or other potentially harmful substances.
- Should you already have a monitored burglary/fire security service, you already own a powerful tool to deter forced entries and break-ins. Remember to always set your alarm whenever you leave your premise and when you return. The most sophisticated equipment in the world does no good unless it is armed and maintained properly and regularly.
- Finally, consider adding cellular back-up protection to your home security system. In this way your home burglary system will not be disabled due to your phone line becoming damaged due to a bad storm or from being intentionally cut by an intruder.
This article appeared in The Chatterbox of Lexington Lakes in September of 2009, in Viewpointe of Boca Pointe in September of 2004 and Town & River News published in September of 2004.