Safe adventures.

All mothers worry about the safety of their babies so here are some helpful tips on how to keep those bundles of joy safe and sound.

BABIES AT HOME

Burn Prevention

Check the water with your wrist or elbow before placing your baby in the shower or bath.

Avoid using microwaves to heat baby formula or baby milk, as you can’t control the temperature of the liquid.

Don't carry anything hot while holding a baby.

Set your water heater to 120 degrees to avoid the risk of burning.

Keep electrical cords out of reach and keep outlets from being overloaded.

Cover unused electrical outlets.

Install barriers around fireplaces, ovens and furnaces.

Choking, Suffocating, Strangulation Prevention

Supervise your baby when he or she is eating and playing.

Avoid giving your baby small, hard or round foods.

Use a small parts tester to ensure toys are not so small they pose a choking hazard.

Learn CPR for infants.

Suffocation

Actively supervise babies at all times.

Remove pillows, blankets and stuffed animals from your baby's sleeping area.

Don’t allow babies to sleep on couches, chairs, regular beds or other soft surfaces.

Don’t allow babies to play with plastic bags or in and around poorly ventilated spaces.

Strangulation

Keep cords and strings out of your child’s reach.

Remove hood and neck drawstrings from your baby’s clothing.

Don't allow babies to wear hanging jewelry, purses, scarves or loose clothing.

On older or used cribs, make sure all crib-railing slats are secure and no more than 2 and 3/8 inches apart (the size of a soda can).

Drowning Prevention

Keep toilet lids shut and use toilet locks.

Regularly check to make sure drain covers are secure and have no cracks. Replace flat drain covers with dome-shaped ones.

Avoid leaving your baby alone when near or in water.

Empty all buckets, containers and wading pools immediately after use. Store them upside down and out of children’s reach. Children can drown in an inch of water.

Install four-sided isolation fencing at least 5 feet high, equipped with self-closing and self-latching gates, around home swimming pools.

Fall Prevention

Move chairs, cribs and other furniture away from windows.

Secure heavy furniture by using wall-angle braces or anchors.

Install window guards or stops. Screens are meant to keep bugs out, not children in.

Secure safety gates at the top and bottom of every staircase.

Strap your baby into high chairs, infant carriers, swings and strollers.

Avoid using baby walkers on wheels.

Fire Prevention

Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, outside of each sleeping area, and in each bedroom.

Make and practice a fire escape plan that includes at least two ways out of every room. Designate one person to get the infant out safely.

Place space heaters at least 3 feet from anything that can catch fire (like curtains, furniture or papers). Always turn off space heaters when leaving the room or going to bed.

Avoid leaving the kitchen unattended while cooking, and never leave your baby alone while you are cooking.

Avoid plugging several appliance cords into the same electrical socket.

Poison Prevention

Read labels and follow instructions when giving medicines to children.

Keep medicine in its original child-resistant container and out of a baby’s reach.

Household Products

Store all household products out of children’s sight and reach. Use cabinet locks if items must be stored within a child’s reach.

Learn the poison control number: 1-800-222-1222.

Carbon Monoxide (CO)

Install carbon monoxide detectors on every level of the home and outside of all sleeping areas.

Test carbon monoxide detectors once a month.

Prevent CO buildup in the first place — make sure heating appliances are in good working order and use them only in well-ventilated areas.

Don’t run a car engine in the garage, even to warm it up; move the car outside first.

PLAYING AND TOYS

Remove strings and cords from baby's clothing.

Actively supervise your baby when he or she is playing.

Keep un-inflated balloons and broken balloon pieces away from children.

Do not let babies play with small, rounded and oval objects (like balls and marbles), which can easily fit into a child’s mouth and throat.

Remove crib toys with strings, cords and ribbons, which can present a strangulation hazard.

Read warning labels and follow their age and safety information, to make sure the toy is appropriate for the child’s age.

Always remove and discard all toy packaging before giving the toy to a baby or small child.

Check for recalls on children’s toys and products at cpsc.gov.

Check old and new toys regularly for damage causing sharp edges or small parts. Make repairs immediately or throw away damaged toys.

During play:

Supervise children when they play and set a good example of safe play.

Ensure that toys are used in a safe environment.

After play:

Put toys away safely after playing. Make sure toy chests have no lids or have safety hinges.

Store toys intended for younger children separately from those for older children.

ON THE GO

Car seats

For the best possible protection, keep your baby 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-facing in the car is actually the minimum size and age requirement for that change. New recommendations suggest that children remain rear-facing to age 2.

Keep a baby rear-facing in a convertible seat until he or she reaches the maximum height or weight allowed by the manufacturer. For many children that will be 30, 35 or even 40 pounds. Many kids will be over age 2 when they reach that weight. Rear-facing occupants are safest.

Use your baby’s car seat rear-facing and semi-reclined to no more than 45 degrees, so the baby’s head stays in contact with the seat and the baby’s airway stays open. Read the car seat instructions.

Make sure the buckled harness straps that keep your baby properly positioned and secured in the car seat fit snugly. Loose harness straps don’t provide maximum protection. Be sure the harness is tight enough that you cannot pinch webbing at the shoulder.

Position the shoulder straps through the slots at or below your baby’s shoulders.

Adjust the chest clip to armpit level.

Use either the car’s seat belt or LATCH system to lock the car seat into the car. Do not use both systems at the same time.

Your car seat should not move more than one inch side to side or front to back. Grab the car seat at the safety belt or LATCH path to test it.

Every car seat has an expiration date. Generally, it is six years from manufacture. Many have the expiration date stamped on the seat. Contact the manufacturer of your specific seat to find out what its expiration date is.

Never buy a used car seat if you do not know its full history. Never use a car seat that has been in a crash. Avoid seats sold at flea markets or yard sales or online.

Do not use any products that did not come from the manufacturer in or with the car seat. Car seat fabrics meet strict fire safety codes.

Add-on toys can injure your child in a crash.

Find the frontal airbags in your vehicle by checking the owner’s manual. Never put a rear-facing car seat in front of an active frontal airbag. Children are always safest in a back seat.

Have your car seat checked by a currently certified child passenger safety technician to make sure it is properly installed.

Never leave a child alone in a vehicle - not even for a minute.

Frontover and Backer Prevention

Walk all the way around your parked vehicle to check for children—or anything that could attract a child, like pets or toys -under or behind your vehicle before getting in and starting the engine.

Accompany young children when they get in and out of a vehicle.

Identify and use safe play areas for children that are away from parked or moving vehicles. Block driveways so cars cannot enter and exit.

Designate a safe spot for children to wait, where a driver can see them, when nearby vehicles are about to move. An adult should always hold a baby when a nearby car is about to move.

Firmly hold the hand of every child when walking near moving vehicles and when in driveways, in parking lots or on sidewalks.

Heat Stroke Prevention

If you see an unattended child in a car, dial 911 immediately.

Never leave a baby unattended in a vehicle, even with the window slightly open.

Place something that you will need at your next stop –for example, a purse, lunch, gym bag or briefcase – on the floor of the backseat where the child is sitting. This simple act could prevent you from accidentally forgetting your child if he or she is sleeping.

Be especially careful if you change your routine for dropping off babies at child care. Have a plan that if your child is late for child care, you will be called within a few minutes.

Teach children not to play in any vehicle.

Always lock a vehicle’s doors and trunk – especially at home.

Watch children closely around vehicles, particularly when loading and unloading. Check to ensure all children leave the vehicle when you reach your destination. Do not overlook sleeping babies.

Trunk Entrapment Prevention

Always lock a vehicle’s doors and trunk -especially when parked in the driveway or near the home. Keep keys out of children’s sight and reach.

Teach children from a very early age that trunks are not safe places to play.

Keep the rear fold-down seats closed to help prevent kids from getting into the trunk from inside the car.