Once a family discovers a baby is on the way, thoughts quickly turn to creating a warm, inviting nursery.
But preparing the rest of the house and the vehicle are just as important.
Although the little one won’t be very mobile for the first few months, it is best to childproof the house before the tot arrives, said Jean Cullen, a licensed clinical social worker and national trainer for Great Kids, Inc. “Suddenly, the baby can crawl and (the childproofing) is not done,” said Cullen, whose husband, Lon, is pastor of First Baptist Church, Vincent.
Among the tips she gives are installing cabinet locks, electrical outlet covers, toilet locks and moving all cleaning supplies and chemicals up out of the reach of children. There should be no exposed extension cords in the house, and the drawstrings on blinds should be pinned up or shortened.
Moreover, it is best to segregate pets from children until they learn to live together peaceably, Cullen cautioned.
Children’s Hospital in Birmingham and the Bureau of Maternal and Child Health and Resources Development of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) offer these among their standards for childproofing the home:
Poison control
Keep syrup of ipecac on hand, but call the Poison Information Center (1-800-292-6678) before using it.
Use child-resistant caps on prescriptions. Keep medicines up high and never refer to them as “candy.”
Install smoke detectors.
Turn the thermostat on the water heater to less than 120 F.
Have the Poison Information Center number posted on or near the phone.
Put screens around kerosene heaters, radiators, floor furnaces and stoves.
Store chemicals and poisons in their original containers.
Closely watch moving machinery (cars, lawnmowers, etc.) when a baby or child is outdoors.
Gate off stairways at the top and bottom. Do not use accordion-style gates, which can strangle a baby.
Keep high chairs, playpens and seats away from any hazards. Don’t use mesh playpens if holes or tears have developed in the material.
In the nursery, a baby needs a secure place to sleep, and all the other furnishings need to be safe.
The crib, according to experts, should have slats that are no wider than 2 3/8 inches. “If you can slide a Coke can between the slats, they’re too far apart,” said Cullen.
The crib should be placed in an area away from windows to avoid the strangling hazard of draperies or cords to blinds.
There should be no toys, stuffed animals or pillows in the crib, she said. And a diaper pail with a liquid inside should be locked. Any furniture that could tip over should be removed.
The DHHS publication “Infant Care” states that mobiles need to be kept up out of reach, and the mattress in the crib should fit snugly into the bed frame.
Also, babies shouldn’t wear necklaces, rings and bracelets, nor should a cord be put around the neck to hold a pacifier.
And finally, a toy chest should be equipped with a safety hinge to hold the top open. Otherwise, the lid needs to be removed.
In the vehicle, it is a mistake to think that the safest place for a child is in the arms of a parent.
“Even at low speeds, an unrestrained child will be thrown with great force,” states a publication from Children’s Hospital. “An adult cannot hold onto a child against such force.”
In fact, the 1998 traffic statistics in Alabama, which were provided to The Alabama Baptist by Children’s Hospital, show that the typical driver in the state has “a 37.8 percent probability that you will be injured or killed driving an automobile during your lifetime.”
There are laws in all 50 states that require infants and young children to be secured while in motor vehicles, according to this information.
In a crash, a child safety seat holds the youngster secure, protects him or her from hitting things inside the car, absorbs the force of impact and prevents the baby from being crush by other passengers, notes a Children’s Hospital publication.
Install correctly
But to be effective, the seat must be put in correctly.
Cullen suggests parents undergo training in how to install a car seat to make sure it is done correctly. She said an adult needs to sit in the car while it is being installed to insure a tight fit. If the seat can be moved any after installation, it is not installed properly.
In the center of the back seat is the safest place for a child to ride, she said.
But which safety seat should be chosen?
Any car seat used should be
federally approved, meaning it meets certain safety guidelines, said Cullen. However, every child safety seat will not fit in every vehicle.
There are four types of seats from which to choose:
Infant safety seats face to the rear and are designed for babies up to 1 year and about 20 pounds. If the baby outgrows this seat before age 1, it should be put into a rear-facing convertible seat.
Convertible seats can be used with babies from birth to about 4 years or 40 pounds. These seats can be made to face the rear or the front.
Toddler-only seats are from 1 year (20 pounds) to 4 years (40 pounds). The child rides forward.
Booster seats are for youngsters who have outgrown other seats but aren’t quite big enough for the regular seat belts in the vehicle. There are two kinds: a shield booster seat uses only lap belts; a belt-positioning booster accommodates lap and shoulder belts.
For more information, contact Children’s Hospital at www.chsys.org or 1-800-504-9768.
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