Accidents are the leading cause of death for children. Most of these deaths could easily be prevented and it is therefore important to keep your child's safety in mind at all times.

 Here are some tips to keep your infant safe:

     Use rear facing infant or convertible car seats in the back seat until your baby is 1 y/o and 20lbs and never place your baby in the front seat of a car with a passenger side airbag. Make sure that you carefully read the car seat's instructions so that you install it properly. If your child has outgrown his car seat before he is one, consider buying a larger seat that can fit a child up to 30lbs while he faces backwards until your child is one year old. 

        Make sure the crib is safe: have no more than 2 3/8 inches between the bars; the mattress should be firm and fit snugly within the crib; place it away from windows and drafts; avoid placing fluffy blankets, stuffed animals, or pillows in the crib as they can cause smothering; remove bumpers once your child is able to stand.

      Make sure that used or hand-me-down equipment, such as car seats, strollers, toys and cribs, etc., haven't been recalled for safety reasons. Call the manufacturer or the Consumer Product Safety Commission for an up-to-date list of recalled products (800-638-2772 or www.cpsc.gov).

      Never leave small objects or plastic bags in your baby's reach to prevent choking.

       Back To Sleep: put your baby to sleep on his back (sleeping on his side is not as safe, expecially if he can roll over onto his stomach) to prevent SIDS and never put them down alone on a waterbed, bean bag, or soft blanket that can cover their face and cause choking. Also make sure that daycare personal or baby-sitters also know to put your baby to sleep on his back.

        Prevent falls by not leaving your baby alone on a bed or changing table.

       Maintain smoke free environments for your baby.

       Avoid exposing your baby to too much sun (use sunscreen after your baby is six months old).

        Correct use of the harness when seated in a high chair.

        If using a bicycle-mounted child seat or a bicycle-towed child trailer, keep in mind that although they are generally thought to be safe, injuries do occur, especially to the child's head and face. Injuries usually occur from collisions with a car or other bike, falls, or contact with things outside the seat or trailer, especially the bicycle wheel. To be safe, have your child wear a helmet, instruct him to keep his hands inside the seat or trailer, use a seat belt, and to prevent foot injuries, use a foot well or spoke guard.

        If you must have a gun in the house keep it and the bullets in a separate locked place.

Child Proofing the House

Your child will be crawling, walking and becoming a lot more mobile before you know it, and so now would be a good time to child proof your house. Get down on all fours and search the house for potential hazards to your child. Here are some tips for childproofing your house.

        Use covers on electrical outlets and latches on cabinets.

       Set the temperature of your hot water heater to 120 degrees F to prevent scalding burns.

       Prevent poisoning by keeping household cleaners, chemicals and medicines completely out of reach and always store them in their original container and know your local Poison Control Center number (find your local Poison Center). Also, buy and use products with child resistant caps.

        Use stair gates and window guards.

       Remove mobiles from the crib and playpen once your child can stand.

       Install smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and fire extinguishers in the house and use flame retardant sleepware.

        Install fire extinguishers and consider purchasing flame resistant or flame retardant furniture in your home.

       Remove furniture with sharp edges or use soft guards.

        Consider using a wall anchor for the stove and large pieces of furniture that can tip over.

       Use nonskid backing on rugs and make sure carpets are securely tacked down.

        Remove breakables from low tables and shelves.

       Remove small toys and other choking hazards from around your child.

       Tie cords of blinds, curtains and appliances up out of reach.

        Do not use a mobile baby walker. Stationary walkers are much safer.

        Do not carry hot liquids or food near your child and do not allow your child near stoves, heaters or other hot appliances (especially curling irons). When cooking, use the back burners and turn pot handles inward.

        To prevent drowning, empty all water from bathtubs and pails, keep the door to the bathroom closed and never leave your child alone near any container of water.

       Use life jackets on boats at all times.

        Child proof the swimming pool by enclosing it in a fence with a self-closing and self-latching gate and never leave your child alone in a swimming area, even if he is a good swimmer.

        If you must have a gun in the house keep it and the bullets in a separate locked place.

       Be cautious of certain dog breeds (Rottweilers, pit bulls, German shepherds) that account for over fifty percent of fatal dog bites and closely supervise children when in the presence of animals.

        Keep a list of emergency numbers near the phone.

      Lock rooms that are not child proof.

Prevent Choking

Young children are at big risk for choking. They often put things in their mouth and smaller items can easily be swallowed and can get stuck in their esophagus or windpipe. To prevent choking you should review the following tips:

        Cut food into bite size pieces. Foods to be especially careful with include grapes, hot-dogs, raw carrots, celery sticks, etc.

      Do not let your child eat while playing or running.

       Avoid foods such as peanuts, hard candy, whole grapes, popcorn, and whole hot-dogs, since they can easily cause choking.

        Do not allow your younger children to play with coins.

       Keep your child away from toys with small parts. Children under age three should not be allowed to play with toys that have parts that are smaller than 1 1/4 inch in diameter and/or 2 1/2 inches long.

        Avoid allowing your children to play with rubber or latex balloons. They can play with Mylar balloons instead.

       Take a first aid course to learn what to do if your child is choking.

       Take the time to look for small items, especially coins, safety pins, tacks, etc in the areas where your children is playing.

Pet Safety

        Be cautious of certain dog breeds (Rottweilers, pit bulls, German Shepherds) that account for over fifty percent of fatal dog bites and closely supervise children when in the presence of animals.

        Pet reptiles, including turtles, snakes and lizards, are a common source of infection from Salmonella in children. You should keep pet reptiles away from children under five years old, and teach older children to wash their hands after handling them.

Lead Poisoning

Lead poisoning is an important cause of learning disabilities, anemia, growth problems and children exposed to lead may have problems with paying attention and being aggressive. Children are most commonly exposed to lead by the ingestion of paint chips or dirt that is contaminated with lead. Prior to 1977, lead was an ingredient of paint, so children living in older homes with chipping paint are most at risk for lead poisoning.

Your children should be checked for lead poisoning by a simple blood test if you live in an area where more than 27% of the houses were built before 1950 or if there are a lot of children with high lead levels. Your pediatrician or local health dept. can tell you if you live in a high risk areas. Children may also be need to be screened for lead poisoning if they have any of the following risk factors:

        Lives in or often visits a house that was built before 1950.

        Lives in or often visits a house that was built before 1978 and is being remodeled.

        Eats or chews on nonfood things, such as paint chips or dirt.

       Has playmates or friends that have high lead levels.

       Has family members that work at a place or has a hobby that involves any of the following:

                         radiator repair

                          lead industry

                          welding

                         battery manufacture or repair

                          house construction or repair

                        smelting

                          chemical preparation

                          making pottery

                         going to a firing range

                          stained glass with lead solder

                          brass or copper foundry

                         valve and pipe fittings

                          bridge, tunnel and elevated highway construction

                          industrial machinery or equipment

                          casting ammunition, fishing weights or toy soldiers

                          refinishing furniture

                          burning lead painted wood

                          automotive repair shop

        Lives or plays near an area with any of the following:

                          smelter

                          hazardous waste site

                          lead industry

                          place where batteries are manufactured or repaired

                          house construction site

                          heavily traveled major highway

                          place where cars are abandoned or repaired

        Consumes any of the following products:

                          medicines (especially home remedies) imported from another country.

                         nutritional pills other than vitamins

                          cosmetics like surma or kohl

        Lives in a home in which the plumbing has lead pipes, lead solder or lead containing holding tanks.

        Eats foods that are cooked or stored in imported or glazed pottery.

        Eats foods that are canned outside the United States.

        Frequently chews on keys (which often contain small amounts of lead).