With all the research about SIDS and safe sleep, there are so many things to do or not do in making sure your baby is safe at night while he/she sleeps.

Without getting into the debate about co-sleeping and breastfeeding or not breastfeeding, there are a few MUSTs that I’ve found that everyone should do regardless of your parenting style.

I’ll never forget the 2 times my first child woke up screaming when she was under 3 months old and I’ll always be forever grateful since at that time, there weren’t any great video baby monitors out there.

The 1st time was because I over bundled her and she was too warm. When I went into her room because she was screaming, it was such a terrible and scary sight because she was so sweaty and wet. I felt so terrible. Nowadays, thankfully, we have baby monitors out there that show parents the temperature of the baby’s room, without having to go in there and check.  The Angelcare AC401 Deluxe Sound and Movement Monitor, and Angelcare AC1100 Video and Movement Monitor,  all show the temperature of your baby’s room on the parent unit that comes with each of those baby monitors so you never go through what I went through with my tiny oldest.

The second time she cried was because she had spit up in her sleep. Since then, all of my babies have had reflux, and I’ve since learned that reflux is tied to SIDS. What I would have done back then if I’d known more about reflux being tied to colic and sleep apnea being linked to SIDS is purchased a video monitor so I can see when the baby spits up at night. I’ve since “learned my lesson” and in researching the finest baby video monitors out there, I find again that the Angelcare AC1100 does a superior job in providing a precision, live streaming video feed along with the temperature display and all of the other important safety features that parents need to monitor their babies.

We live and learn through raising each of our children but some lessons are better off being learned through other parent’s mistakes

The last MUST I wanted to share with you is some information that I learned also from talking to other parents and researching much health and safety information. Did you know that if the chemicals in your baby’s mattresses mix with urine, that the combination of the two is potentially fatal? I had never known that and what’s more – I believe that is one of the reasons sleeping on the stomach is ill-advised. The fumes from mattress chemicals are not always noticeable, in fact I find they really aren’t noticeable, but they are there, and knowing this is the first step to prevention.

A good movement and sensor video monitor is the first step to knowing if there is a problem with your baby’s breathing or sleeping, even resulting from the subtle combination of the urine + mattress chemicals, that I’ve mentioned above. That’s another reason why the Angelcare is the brand I personally recommend for baby monitors, as it is the brand that carries the most reliable form of motion detection (using a sensor pad that goes under the baby’s mattress triggering an alarm if no breathing is detected for 20 seconds).

I hope you can learn from both my own mistakes and the lessons I’ve learned along the way, sparing you from stress and empowering you to be a safe and yet relaxed parent.

This September, we are celebrating the annual National Baby Safety Month so we are sharing a few tips to keep your baby safe at home.

Our home is the only world that our baby knows and as naturally curious as they are, our babies are going to explore every inch of homes and they would most definitely be crawling and reaching every step of the way and it is very important that baby safety is practiced every step of the way. That is why it is very important for us adults to make sure our homes are both baby friendly and child friendly.

It is never too early to start thinking about baby safety

It is actually best to start baby-proofing your home when you are still pregnant so that it’ll be ready for your new baby when you return home from the hospital. Don’t know where to start? Try to go down to your baby’s eye view, yes that means you have to crawl down all around your house and crank your neck up (I guess, baby safety is a good exercise too!) In this way, you can see what object should be removed that might potentially be dangerous to your baby when he tries to reach for it. Keep chemicals, medicines, foods and sharp objects out of the reach of your baby to avoid incidents of  poisoning, choking and cuts.

If there are sections of your house that you do not want your baby to crawl to then install baby safety gates to prevent them from entering unsafe portions of the house. Baby safety gates are most useful to avoid baby’s from crawling towards the stairways.

Cover all sharp edges of your furniture, walls, posts and appliances with pillows or blankets. This baby safety tip is especially useful when your baby is at the stage of crawl from one place to another. Also, make sure that cribs, chairs and other furniture your baby may climb on is away from the windows.

It is very important that you do not leave your baby alone, whether on a high chair or at the bathroom. Supervision for a curious baby is one of the very important rule in baby safety. If you are still left confused on how to practice baby safety then it is best to consult a professional and get some advise on how to keep your baby safe.

How old is your baby now? Is your baby entering the age of 18 months and above? Well, Congratulations! Your baby is now a toddler. Welcome to the toddler years. The next few months will be extra challenging for parents as they can already run, jump and shout amongst other things. They were not called ‘ the terrible twos’ for nothing.  And on that note, it is time for you to increase the safety level around the house (If you haven’t done this already).

Image by Darny via Flickr

Your toddler is bound to be active (for as long as he or she is awake) and an explorer. So they will tend to look, reach and touch many things. They also tend to be attracted to stairs. (I don’t know why but most of them want to climb!) Knowing all this, you have to make sure that your house is toddler proof! Here are some tips.

• Make sure that there are no small objects like coins, pebbles, or crayons on the floor as they will put these in their mouth. (No kidding!) They tend to taste everything. As a matter of fact, they eat everything. If they can eat and taste their potty trainers, they will (I’m not even exaggerating). So make sure everything is sanitized accordingly.
• Position your TV, DVD players and electronic machines in a stand next to a wall to decrease the risk of anything falling on your child. If you can bolt them down, all the better.
• Install child safety gates at the top and bottom part of the staircase to minimize the risk of nasty falls. FYI, they like to climb up and down so you really have to watch out.
• Put a cover on your electrical outlets. Those are a common buy in hardware stores. Kids at this age like to insert stuff or their fingers in every hole they see.
• Put padding on pointed corners and table edges for they are sure to bump into these, however carefully you are watching. It will take time for their peripheral vision to work well!
• Keep all accident prone materials, medications and household chemicals out your child’s reach.

I guess it all comes down to this advice, ‘Don’t ever leave your toddler unattended!’ They are in their ‘exploring-mode’ at this time so they will try out everything, especially when your back is turned. And you will want to be with them as they discover about the world? Of course, it’s understandable that you will not always be with your toddler; just make sure that someone responsible is with them when you’re not around. As they say, ‘Prevention is better than cure’. So, please, be aware of your child’s surroundings for they will really taste, bump, reach, touch and climb on whatever they can, whether you like it or not!

Are you a new mom? Or did you just give birth? The reason I am asking is because there are some important things that you must know. Mothers during their post-natal condition must be aware of some risk factors that may affect them or their newly-born babies. Among the common immediate risks affecting newly-born babies is the development of molds which can cause bleeding inside the lungs of your baby. Mold is often misdiagnosed as a virus, flu or asthma-like conditions.

Mothers must also look into the low birth weight of their babies or their exposure to tobacco smoke. Second-hand smoke is often connected to sudden infant death syndrome. It was found out that infants who die from sudden infant death syndrome tend to have higher concentrations of nicotine and cotinine in their body fluids – a biological sign for second-hand smoke exposure. Parents who smoke can significantly reduce their baby’s risk of sudden infant death syndrome by either quitting or smoking only outside the house so that the home environment is completely smoke-free.

Sleeping with the baby’s back on the bed or on any flat surface has been recommended as the best way to avoid sudden infant death syndrome. Infants have little or no control over their heads. With the baby sleeping face down, danger rises as he or she may inhale his or her own exhaled breath which is high in carbon dioxide resulting to suffocation. Keep in mind that babies, being so little, do not react ‘normally’ by moving away from the pooled carbon dioxide.

Breast-feeding also reduces the risk of sudden infant death syndrome by approximately 50% at all infant ages. While breast-feeding their babies, mothers have instinctive feelings for the conditions of their babies that will tell them to act appropriately.

In hot climates, using a fan to circulate air inside the baby’s room can lower the risk of sudden infant death syndrome. Parents must always take into account that the baby’s sleeping environment really matters and improving the room ventilation can reduce any health risk to your baby.

As a mother, these are just some of the things that you should look out for. Just always make sure that you are doing your best for your baby to be healthy and well cared for. (Although, I doubt you need reminding about this). If in doubt, just contact your baby’s pediatrician. Motherhood is a ‘hard nut to crack’ but I assure you, it’s worth it!

When your toddler starts learning how to walk, the next thing to happen will be that they fall over!

All parents want to keep their babies safe all the time including during their learning-to-walk stage. One  way of protecting our babies from injury during their fall is by softening their fall.

Rubber Flooring Inc. announces the introduction of kids play mat floor covering options. Play mats are available in a wide variety of sizes and colors. All foam puzzle mats are also nontoxic, easy to clean, and help to keep kids safe from potential falls.

Make Every Night A Safe Night, Make Every Day A Safe Day. This should be the mantra of parents and caregivers for the month of September. With  baby products recalls often on the top spot in the news, it seems appropriate that plenty of attention is given to babies’ safety.

We should scrutinize baby products and evaluate baby related activities, distinguishing the best and worst products and activities for babies. Thus the annual celebration of Baby Safety Month each September, sponsored annually by Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA), couldn’t have come round at a better time.

JPMA

www.babysafetymonth.org

www.cribsafety.org

Contrary to what most adults believe, children welcome the thought of swimming.  This is what I usually notice whenever I chance upon parents teaching their toddlers how to swim in swimming pools of resorts I visit during summertime. After all, isn’t it the most natural thing in the world? 

When we were just fetuses, we were already exposed to the basics of swimming; we floated 24/7 inside that tiny little pool within our mother’s womb – her amniotic sac.   Training your child as appropriately early as possible gives your child a bigger chance of overcoming his/her fear of water.  The older and, at the same time, the smarter they get, the more they become fearful of it. 

Once they learn about the dangers of swimming, it seems almost impossible to unlearn it.  Take it from me — I’m still scared of swimming in a pool more than four feet deep and I studied swimming when I was ten years old!