The moment that you become a parent, your life changes forever. You gain a new and ultimate priority: Nothing in the world matters as much as your child. You want your child to be happy, to grow up to be successful, and to have every joy in life. You want your child to learn, to grow, and to have opportunities in life. Most of all, you want to keep your child safe.
And trying to keep a baby safe can be scary! As if parenthood and its responsibilities weren’t terrifying enough, new parents have to worry about their kids getting hurt. And the babies themselves, it must be said, are not a big help in this department: The little devils seem to have a knack for making a beeline towards the most dangerous things around.
Doing your best to keep your child safe means doing your research and paying close attention to your child. Here are a few tips for protecting your little bundle of joy.
Baby-proof the house
If you have a baby on the way, now is the time to baby-proof the house! Babies have a knack for turning regular household spaces into dangerous situations, so be proactive about making your home safe for even the most adventurous baby.
You probably know that you should use outlet covers and other basic protections. But you may still forget something or fail to notice a danger, so play it safe: Look for an online baby-proofing checklist so that you can be confident you’ve covered your bases. In fact, check a few, just to make sure that you’ve found every possible danger in your space. If you’re parenting with a partner, have one partner baby-proof each room and the other check it — two sets of eyes are better than one!
Buy the safest possible baby products
You’ll need a whole bunch of gear for your newborn: Cribs, strollers, car seats, high chairs, and toys, to name just a few. But some of these products are safer and more reliable than others, so make sure that you do your research!
Take car seats, for example. You’ll need to know what sort of car seat is best for your child (for newborns and babies up to two years old, the answer is a rear-facing car seat, but the best option will change as your child ages and grows). Once you know what sort of model you need, you’ll need to pick out a brand. Check reviews on review aggregation sites like carseathub.com to make sure that you’re getting the best car seat possible.
Then repeat that process with other products you need, like cribs and strollers. A few minutes of research can make a massive difference in your child’s safety.
Know what not to buy
Reviews and safety ratings will help you tell which baby products are the safest of their kind. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re always going to be okay buying the best version of a product available. Some products are best avoided entirely!
Drop-side cribs, for instance, are a poor choice. However secure they may seem, they add a potentially dangerous feature: the side that lowers. If that side ever drops unexpectedly, it could hurt your child. These were so dangerous that they were eventually banned!
You can get a crib with fixed sides instead of a drop-side one. But with things like crib bumpers and crib tents, there is no safe alternative. Just don’t get these dangerous baby products!
Happily, most of the baby products out there are very safe. With a bit of research, you’ll be able to choose the right ones! Combined with a watchful eye and a baby-proofed home, this will keep your baby as safe as possible.
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