Baby Talk - 4/13/17

I am sure that most of us are familiar with the typical safety measures that need to be addressed in your baby’s nursery. We have all heard about:

• Inserting plug protectors in unused electrical outlets and the dangers of exposed cords,

• Installing smoke and carbon monoxide alarms on each level of your home,

• Eliminating curtain or window blind cords,

• Securing furniture to the wall,

• Using toy boxes with no lids,

• Keeping all supplies within reach of the changing table, and

• Maintaining a crib with no frills and closely spaced slots.

In addition to these safety measures, I read an interesting study that addresses how nursery products can be a safety issue, as well. The study indicated that every eight minutes a baby is injured using a nursery product, with over 66,000 children treated annually at emergency rooms for these types of accidents. That just made me stop and read it again to be sure I had not misread that statistic. The great majority of these cases involved the baby falling out of the product – bouncer, walker, stroller, changing tables, and cribs. The study included a recommendation for parents – use the four “Rs” to reduce the possibility of a product accident. Research the product before making a purchase, check for recalls, register the product, and read the manual carefully. You can check www.recalls.gov for recall information. I was quite surprised to learn that over 80% of recalled children’s products are not returned.

Let’s be sure that we are all diligent in keeping babies safe.

What other baby nursery/product safety tips do you have? Please, share.