When you are a new mom, you are overwhelmed with information about precisely what you should be doing every minute of every day. While some of that advice might be helpful, other pieces of advice you get may not be so beneficial. Stop worrying. Your baby is going to be just fine. It’s hard to filter through all of the tips for baby safety you’re going to get, so here are five go-to tips for new moms from the mouths of experienced moms who have done a pretty good job in the child-raising area.
Car Seat Safety
First, if you are a new mom, you need to handle the car seat. Baby car seats are difficult to negotiate for any new mom. Make sure your baby’s car seat is rear-facing and located in the middle of the back seat. This is the safest area for your baby when you’re driving. If you are worried about seeing your baby while driving, you can buy a mirror that allows you to see your baby’s face even while driving. The car seat should be secure in the car–you should not be able to move it quickly.
Your Baby’s Head Needs Protection
Make sure that your baby’s car seat has head support, reminds mynapup.com. If your baby is still an infant, the head support will curve around their head to protect their head and neck. This is really important because the head and neck of a baby are fragile, and it takes time for the baby’s neck muscles to strengthen. Once the baby is older and moves to a toddler seat, you may want to get ahead strap to keep the toddler’s head in place while they are riding–and napping–in the backseat.
Safe at Home
It is easier to watch them when your baby is young because they can’t move much. Once your baby becomes mobile, you will want to move to protect them from objects in your home. There are all kinds of safety devices designed for home protection. Before you go crazy thinking about how much safety will dent your budget, you need to do some review. For example, you don’t need to worry about extra locks for the doors if your child isn’t walking yet. Your priority needs to be areas in your home where your child is most active. For example, if your baby starts to crawl, you will want to place protectors over the electrical sockets. You may also want to place protectors on your fireplace corners. As your child gets older, you can continue to add protection, such as cabinet and door locks.
You can add to your list of safety priorities one other safety item: bolting your furniture to the wall as soon as your infant begins to pull up to stand. Toddlers love to reach and grab for objects and may unwittingly pull over a bookcase, a chest of drawers, or a changing table on top of them. By bolting furniture to the wall, you can protect your baby from heavy furniture.
Bathtub Safety
When your baby is young, you may not want to bathe them in the bathtub because it is so large. Instead, you can buy a non-slip baby bathtub perfect for young babies because it supports their heads and necks say, Parents.com. As your baby grows and can support their head and sit up, you can then move to sink bathing. This gives your growing baby a little more room to play without risking their safety. You can also begin to think about bathtub bathing, which is so much fun to do, especially if your baby loves water and loves playing with toys. Be sure that you test the bathwater with your hand to make sure it isn’t too hot, as a baby’s skin is very sensitive. You don’t want to leave your child near water by themselves, even if they are in the bathtub with an older sibling. You’ll have to supervise at all times to keep your baby safe.
The Element of Time
One of the most important things you can do as a new mother is to spend time with your baby. Not only does this provide bonding time for you and your baby, but it allows you to really get to know your baby. Each baby is different, which means that protecting them is also different for each child. The more you get to know your child, the easier it will be to predict which baby will be likely to try and grab onto anything they can get their hands on and which baby will walk the fastest. You’ll then be able to make predictions on their actions, which helps to keep them safe. Besides, babies are just plain entertaining to watch.