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Save childproofing tops from finished containers. Use them on whatever bottles they fit which would benefit from them.
THE HIGHCHAIR
One of the most necessary pieces of baby equipment is also one of the most potentially dangerous. The Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that in one year 7,000 children were treated in hospital emergency rooms as a result of accidents involving highchairs.
Check the highchair you buy — or borrow — carefully. Be sure it has a wide base and a tray that locks securely. The buckle on the restraining strap should be easy to fasten. Caps and plugs on tubing on a metal chair should be firmly attached.
Be sure the tray is locked after you put your baby into the highchair and always hook up the restraint system. It’s important to keep the highchair clean. Stuck-on food can interfere with the locking mechanics and cause its restraint system to fail.
Watch your baby’s fingers as you put the tray on. When your child is old enough to understand, you might use the watchwords “Hands Up” to help make sure fingers are out of harm’s way.
Put bathtub decals or a rubber sink mat on a slippery highchair seat so your child is not prone to slipping down the seat.
Be sure any item attaching a bottle or small toy to the highchair is no longer than 12 inches. Pacifiers can be attached to clothing with pacifier holders that can be purchased in baby departments. The ribbon on them should be no longer than seven inches. Longer string is a strangulation hazard.
Never leave a baby alone in a room in the highchair, even with the safety strap securely fastened. Any child will try to climb out of it eventually if you’re there or not. And remember, the highchair tray is not an adequate child restraint!
Keep the highchair at a safe distance from the table or counter. Any child can tip a highchair over by pushing off with hands or feet. Standing up in the chair or rocking it back and forth can also cause it to tip.
Teach older children not to climb on the highchair with or without a baby in it. That’s equally dangerous.
THE KITCHEN
PORTABLE HOOK-ON CHAIRS
Choose a chair with a strong clamp-on device that keeps the seat level so a child can’t kick it off the table.
Do not use on a glass or loose tabletop, or on a table with a single pedestal, leaf, tablecloth or placemat. Test any table first by putting weight on the edge.
Never place an ordinary chair under a hook-on chair because a child can push off against it.
BABY PROOFING THE BATHROOM
The bathroom is as full of dangers for your baby as the kitchen. The combination of water, attractive poisonous substances and intriguing appliances is fascinating to a curious child looking for entertainment. Make sure every bathroom can be unlocked from the outside.
THE BATHROOM “FURNISHINGS”
Keep the toilet lid down, or better yet, get a guard that actually locks it. It’s important to prevent it from becoming a place for water play and a dangerous opportunity for drowning. (Yes, children have drowned in toilets.) Children are often fascinated by the action of the swirling water and can fall in head first.
Get a soft spout cover for the bathtub. It will save your baby from bumps and bruises. It will also help to avoid the possibility of burns from a very hot water spout. As an extra safety measure, face your child away from the tub spout.
Test the bath water on the inside of your wrist before putting your baby into the tub. Better yet, invest in a bath thermometer. When you’ve filled the tub, turn off the hot water before the cold, so the latter will flow through the faucet if your child manages to touch it.
Collect all bathing materials before bringing the baby into the bathroom.
Keep the water temperature for your house set at about 120 degrees — hot enough to clean clothes and dishes, yet not scalding. If you have no control over the water heater, check your hardware store for anti-scald aerators. Or retrofit a valve with a special temperature-sensitive spring called an actuator to stop the flow of scalding water.
Put non-skid appliques on the bottom of the tub to prevent slips, or use a full-length rubber bath mat.
Don’t leave soap and shampoo on the edge of the tub for a child to grab.
The Bathroom
Use a tub guard to pad the tub’s side and give you a comfortable place to lean when bathing a child.
Never leave water in the tub when it’s not in use. A toddler can fall in and drown in as little as two inches of water.
Do not, under any circumstances, leave a child under five years old unattended in the tub. If you can’t stand to let a phone ring, unplug it or use an answering machine. If you must leave the room for any reason, wrap your child in a towel and take him or her with you.
BATH TUB SEATS
Consider using a bathtub seat to help keep a squirmy child who can sit up secure during a bath. You might also think about using a shampoo visor if a fearful child
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