Check out the safety tips below for new parents that will
help scary situations seem a little less scary and have you more prepared to deal
with possible dangerous situations that arise:
0-6
Months
The most common problem the Poison Center sees during the
first few months of a newborn’s life is medication errors. In order to use the
upmost precaution, make sure you are using a measuring syringe or droppers
given by your pharmacist or physician. Make sure you give the proper amount and
if you are unsure, always check with your pharmacist or physician before giving
the medicine.
If the amount of medication you are giving exceeds over ½
a teaspoon, then please check with your pharmacist or physician first. And if
you leave your baby with a sitter, make sure the babysitter is aware of the
medications and have clear instructions on how to properly give the baby medicine.
6-9
Months
During the 6-9 month period, your baby will start
crawling. Here are some things you might want to watch out for when
baby-proofing your home.
·
Cleaning products that are usually stored
underneath cabinets should be placed out of sight and out of reach of children
·
Identify all indoor and outdoor plants to
verify that no plants in or near the home are dangerous to your child. If you
are unsure about a plant, you can always call the poison center to see if a
plant is poisonous at 1-800-222-1222.
·
Remember your baby now has access to the
entire floor of your home so make sure none of the following could be lying
around: rat poisons, insect bait, or medications accidently dropped.
9
months+
After the 9 month mark, your baby will start not only
crawling, but walking and climbing. And what is the one thing a baby LOVES to
do? Put whatever they find directly into their mouth! Follow these tips to keep
your house and family safe from potential poisons:
·
It is a great idea to put child-resistant locks
on cabinets that have potential hazards. You can buy these almost anywhere. Put
medicines out of reach and out of sight of children. Remember, child safety
caps are not child-proof.
·
Now that the child has access to the entire
backyard, it is more important than ever that you check for poisonous plants
and mushrooms and have them removed. Pesticide products should not be used in
the yard either.
·
Remember that the kids can now get into your
purse so make sure you aren’t carrying anything that could potentially harm a
child. This includes medications and cosmetics so be mindful of carrying these
items in your purse.
·
Children’s medication usually has a sweet
flavor that helps make it easier to get children to take the medicine. With
that in mind, keep children’s medications such as vitamins, antibiotics and
cough syrups out of reach and out of sight. And remember to NEVER tell a child
that medication is candy because then they will think all medication is candy
and could potentially harm themselves.
·
Always know how much of a liquid medicine is
in the bottle in case a toddler does get into the medicine. You can do this by
using a marker to show the level after each time you give the medicine.
Lastly, the Poison Control Network provides a section on
their website called “Kids’ Corner”. Here you can find tips for a babysitter as
well as a document for download called Babysitter Notes to help out the
babysitter while you are out. (http://www.poisoncontrol.org/docs/kids_babysitting.pdf)
