Safety Tips for your young ones….
Baby Carriers
Ground your baby. Placing your baby’s carrier on the ground is the best way to insure that the carrier is stable and it cannot fall. Most of the time toppling over is harmless, but in some cases a fall from as low as two feet can cause brain injury. When shopping for a carrier, look for one with a wide, sturdy base and a safety belt.
Safe Home
Childproof your home. Toddlers are curious and it can get them into trouble or injured. Every year, more than 1 million unintentional poisonings among kids under 6 are reported to U.S. poison control centers.
To prevent such accidents, survey each room from a kid's point of view:
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Get down on your hands and knees and look carefully for any potential dangers between the floor and about three and a half feet above the ground.
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Remove items that are within reach from his crib and high chair.
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Check the carpet for buried items (such as pins, coins, and buttons) that your child could put in his mouth.
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Keep locked away -- or at least out of reach -- household products that may be harmful: cosmetics, art supplies, medicines, vitamins, and alcohol.
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Leave the toll-free number for the poison control center (800-222-1222) by your phone, and call right away if your child swallows something you think may be toxic.
Safe Trash
The trash may seem like an unlikely place for a child to be hurt, but for a curious tot who has just started walk everything becomes a risk. Best to make sure that the trash that you throw out is safely discarded. A child 12 months and even up to 12 years doesn'’t yet understand potential dangers. So if an item that could possibly be harmful if found, like a plastic bag (suffocation), a small object (a choking hazard) or a razor blade, throw it away in an inaccessible trash can, one that is locked in a cabinet or in a room blocked by a baby gate.
Stairway Safety
If you have a staircase in your home, put a gate at the top and the bottom. The one at the top should be secured to the wall or railing. Babies can crawl fast and they often learn to crawl up steps before they develop the motor skills to crawl down. To let your child practice climbing, pad the floor below the stairs with a few cushions so she won't get hurt if she falls, and keep a close watch.
Car trouble
Never leave your child alone in a car. Fumes may make your child sick. He may play with the power controls, lock himself in the car, or climb out of his seat and set the car in motion. Even if the engine is not running, its never a good idea to leave the child in the car by himself. In warm weather, even when it seems pleasant, the temperature inside the car can rise to a dangerous level very quickly. A child may succumb to heatstroke in minutes. Always lock the car and keep the keys out of your child’s reach.
***Enrollment in the Our Healthy Baby™ Program does not automatically add the new baby to your current insurance policy. To do this, you must contact your Human Resources Department and complete a family status change form within 30 days of the birth.
