Raising a kid can be confusing for parents. There’s information about general safety tips that can be overwhelming for first-time parents to understand. This post highlights content from a recent guide to child safety and breaks down home safety topics, including poison control.

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Get the breakdown on general home safety tips for the family.

Exploring is part of learning in life. It’s no surprise to find that there are a number of safety items for home products and labels for consumers to read to protect the welfare of your family.

Why Child Safety Matters

Providing a kid with the necessary resources to survive is part of helping them move forward throughout life, using their full potential. By giving them the right space to grow physically, mentally, and emotionally, you’re making sure to cover their everyday basic needs.

Kids are curious in nature — and this is a good thing. You want your child to explore the world around them, but in a safe environment. You can provide this by following general home safety guidelines outlined in “A Parent’s Guide To Child Safety,” provided by Safe Kids Worldwide.

This guide offers safety tips for kids at home and offers new parents insight on caring for a newborn, ways to handle hazardous materials found in cabinets, and more.

General Safety Rules for Children

Child safety is a big priority for Community Care Plan, the health plan with a heart. They’re all about positively impacting the health and wellness of members, which is why I’ve teamed up with them to update you with safety tips. Their website has a handy parent guide to child safety by Safe Kids Worldwide, a nonprofit that strives to protect kids from preventable injuries.

Everyday Safety Tips With an Infant

Placing a newborn down for a nap can be stressful, more so if your baby has grown attached to you. There are memes about putting a baby to sleep that are both relatable and hilarious.

In all seriousness, there’s more to placing a child or a newborn on a mattress. Within the first year of a baby’s life, it’s recommended that they lay on their back to sleep on a firm, flat surface mattress.

Removing toys and blankets from your child’s surroundings is important during a nap as this might cause suffocation or other complications. Bumper pads are not recommended for cribs for the same reasons.

Dressing your child comfortably is key throughout the day. Infants use their cries to communicate what they’re feeling, and sometimes new parents confuse discomfort with a cry for feeding.

Another one of the daily safety tips you’ll find in the guide to child safety is to avoid sharing your bed with your baby. It’s safer to place your baby in a crib or bassinet in your bedroom, but not your actual bed.

Sleeping with your child can be problematic and may cause suffocation. There’s also the notion of discomfort for parents who try to avoid getting too close to their baby while they sleep.

Learn safety tips for kids in and around the water.

Child Water Safety Precautions

From water temperatures to empty buckets, it’s important to look at your surroundings when caring for a child. With insights from the guide to child safety, you’ll have a better understanding of how to keep things out of harm’s way.

Planning ahead is the best way to avoid situations. For instance, if you plan to bathe your infant, it’s best to keep everything within arm’s reach. According to the kids’ safety guide, it’s important to “watch children when they are in or near water,” and to “keep infants and toddlers within arm’s reach of an adult during bath time.”

Other water safety tips include:

– Check the water temperature before placing a child in the water;

– Empty tubs, buckets, containers, and kids’ pools immediately after use; and

– Close toilet lids and bathroom doors.

Outside of the home is still a concern for parents, more so in South Florida where you are surrounded by lakeview scenery and backyard/community pools. Installing fences and self-latching gates are a great way to prevent future dangers in and around your home.

Addressing safety concerns with older children in your family or among friends is important. This helps everyone stay on the same page and understand the importance of assisting one another should any issues arise while playing in a family pool.

Address safety hazards at home with your kids.

Kids Safety Tips on Poison Control

Caring for a kid takes more than patience. It requires planning ahead to prevent things from happening and having a strategy for when the inevitable does occur.

For instance, keeping household products such as cleaning items, personal care products, and medicine and vitamins out of kid’s reach can help prevent fatal accidents. The guide to child safety suggests keeping these up and away.

It’s best to keep each household product in its original container and make sure the labels are clean and easy to read. This helps you avoid any confusion.

Keeping the poison control number handy is another parenting trick that can assist you in future situations. Whether you have older children living in or visiting your home, it’s important to have the Poison Help number at hand.

Carbon monoxide poisoning should be taken seriously. You can prevent this from happening in your home by doing the following:

– Installing carbon monoxide alarms and performing monthly tests; and

– Warming your vehicle outside of the garage.

The guide to child safety tells you what to do in the case of a carbon monoxide emergency.

Child Safety for Drawers and Other Moving Objects

Planning ahead with children is important. Strategically placing furniture throughout your home can help prevent future disasters such as falls and painful injuries.

As your child continues to grow, there are moving objects you may want to remove or transfer to a new location. Tall drawers are dangerous in a kid’s room as they can be used as a climbing tool.

Ways parents can handle moving objects include:

– Secure TVs;

– Use safety gates; and

– Anchor unstable furniture to the wall.

Playing Outdoor Safety Tips for Kids

Getting some fresh air can be rewarding for your family. One of the things to be concerned with while playing outside are toy objects and on-coming objects such as cars and other people.

As a parent, it’s important to be cautious of your surroundings. The guide to child safety points out the need to take a walk around your car before heading out. Locking your car door is also a great idea to prevent dangerous situations, like your child getting trapped in the car.

Trunks are also common areas for a kid to play, and should be avoided if not supervised by a parent. Use a system to know when your child is in the car or outside of your home.

Teaching your child about being alert and proactive while playing outside is key. Looking both ways at least twice before crossing the street is also important.

Being alert can help you avoid future accidents and wearing the right gear can prevent injuries. Reflective pieces and bright colors are perfect for drivers to notice when your child is playing outside.

Get more kid safety tips from A Parent’s Guide To Child Safety via the Community Care Plan website.

This guide is full of great recommendations from experts that will help you and your family stay safe no matter where you are.