Baby Safety Month is celebrated in September every year because it is the 9th month of the year! Isn’t that neat? Baby Safety Month was started by JPMA (Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association) in 1983 as Expectant Mother Day. It quickly grew to baby Safety Month in 1991. The mission of JPMA is as follows: JPMA Cares contributes to the long-term success of babies and young children by reducing barriers to healthy development, ensuring fundamental needs are met, and promoting a safe and nurturing environment to learn and grow.
Whether you are a first-time parent or a seasoned vet, having a baby at home can be frightening in a million different ways. We all think about things like covering the power outlets and padding the corners of sharp tables, but below I’d like to go over some tips we may not think about right off the bat!
Safe Sleep
Empty is best! Always make sure babies’ cribs, bassinets, or pack and plays are free of clutter, blankets, stuffed animals, or toys. This greatly reduces the risk of SIDS.
Car Seat Placement
When setting up the car seat, one of the most important things to correct is the placement of the chest piece. The chest piece should always be at armpit level in the middle of the strongest part of the chest. Proper installation of the car seat is crucial and can be checked for you by hospital staff on discharge and/or fire departments in your area.
Infant CPR & First Aid
Infant CPR classes are offered all over the country in person and also online. It is so important to know what steps to take to initiate life-saving CPR and to know the differences in adults and infants. Before initiating CPR you must first make sure the child or infant is nonresponsive and/or not breathing. You do this by using the phrase “Hey, hey are you okay?” while tapping on the child’s shoulders. If it’s an infant you will tap on the soles of the feet to try and gain a response. If neither is successful continue with CPR.
Choking
Eating while distracted and eating certain foods are the deadliest causes of infant choking. The most common foods babies choke on are hot dogs, whole grapes, popcorn, carrots, nuts and seeds, and meat. It is so important to monitor babies while eating to insure their saftey. If giving babies these types of foods, always make sure to cut them appropriately to reduce any chances of choking. Devices such as the Lifevac are good to have on hand.
For more in-depth information on these baby safety tips, click the hyperlinks in each paragraph. Also, be sure to check out my previous blog post.
