Baby Safety - Inside the house
 

The greatest challenge for a parent is to ensure safety of the baby. These are some of the general rules that need to be followed. All the safety rules continue to apply until the baby is big enough to discriminate.

0-4 months:
1. No sharp things such as pins, needles, breakable glasses should be kept in her room. DO NOT do needle work in her room.
2. Tiny objects that she might put into her mouth should be out of her reach. This includes hard food items such as biscuits, crispies, apples etc. She is not yet ready to bite these foods.
3. NEVER have hot liquids while holding your baby.
4. Make sure that she does not play with sheets of cloth as she might cover her face leading to suffocation.
5. The toys she plays with must be made of non-toxic material as she would tend to put them into her mouth.
6. DO NOT eat in her room. This would attract ants and other insects.
7. Always use white or mild coloured sheets for making her bed. This would let you see if there are insects or other unwanted things on it.
8. DO NOT encourage pets in her room. She is too small to have them by her.
9. Always keep the room well ventilated and pest-free. Mice are very dangerous.
10. Mop her room everyday to prevent infections.
11. DO NOT let others with infectious diseases come close to her.
12. Change the spreads on her bed often to keep it free of irritant particles and wash it with disinfectant to keep it infection free.
13. If she has started rolling over, spread her mattress on the floor.
14. NEVER let young girls or siblings to baby sit her until she is at least a year old.

5-8 months:
1. By now most babies tend to move by rolling or crawling on their bellies. Make sure she does not fall off her bed. While she is awake, put her on a mat or mattress on the floor.
2. Some babies start teething about this time. This means a greater tendency to put things into her mouth. Make sure that all things that are about her are safe and clean. Wash her toys regularly by soaking them in water for a few minutes and wiping them clean.
3. Give her toys that are big enough not to get into her mouth. Special teething toys are available for her.
4. Once she starts crawling on all fours, you need to double-check everything around her. No plug points within her reach unless they have the modern 'auto-seal' mechanism.
5. Do not let telephone wires or electrical wires hang loose. She might pull them causing things to fall on her or worse still, they might give her a shock.
6. No light weight furniture that she might knock over herself.
7. Keep all things such as books and paper beyond her reach. Paper bits can choke babies.
8. Tiny objects that she might put into her mouth should be out of her reach. This includes hard food items such as biscuits, crispies, apples etc. She is not yet ready to bite these foods
9. Do not let her play with cloth. She could suffocate herself.
10. Remove all broken toys immediately.
11. Never leave her alone for more than a few minutes at a time. Even so, keep checking on her every 3 minutes or so. If she stays too quiet, it might mean she has found something interesting which you do not want her to find!
12. Never let her play in the kitchen. It is the most dangerous place in the house.
13. DO NOT let her alone in the bathroom. It is very, very dangerous. Keep the bathroom latched when not in use.
14. NEVER let young girls or siblings to baby sit her until she is at least a year old.

9-12 months:
1. This is the time when most babies have learnt to stand with support. Ensure that there are not sharp edges at their height which might hurt them.
2. Never leave things on tables that are within their reach. Especially electrical appliances, sharp tools and hot things.
3. Babies learn to climb on to chairs and beds now. Make sure no light furniture is around. They may topple over, causing her injury.
4. At the top of stair landing, have a gate which she is not able to open. The gate should open inwards from the top end of the stairs. Otherwise there is a risk of her pushing open the gate and falling down.
5. NEVER leave chairs or stools on the balcony. She could push it close to the parapet and climb on to it!
6. In case a baby has taken a sharp item in her hand, NEVER pull it out of her hand. Quickly lift her up and give something else in her hand, distract her and gently remove the tool. It is alright if she cries to get it back…she would be okay!
7. Sometimes, it pays to let her know that certain things are taboo. For example, if she tries to pull something from the top of the kitchen counter, admonish her in a stern voice. She would cry once or twice, but she has learnt her lesson by then!
8. She would spill milk, water or other liquids on the floor. Mop it up immediately to avoid an accident.
9. She might mess up her feed. Clean it up immediately. Otherwise it attracts insects and infection. Further, she might try to eat it later which causes infection.
10. At this stage, elder siblings begin to take greater interest in her as she has learnt to be more active and interactive. Be cautious about their moves. They might not realize the danger they are posing.
11. NEVER let young girls or siblings to baby sit her until she is at least a year old.