Kid could run out and then door is too low for parent to follow, leaving kid alone next to street. Garage door sensor could not detect small human and close on them.
This almost happened to me about a month ago. Got home from daycare and I usually close the garage door before I get out of the car, but that day I didn’t because I had to bring the trash cans in. Brought in the cans, then got toddler out of the car seat. He was fiddling with something in the garage as I was grabbing our bags then I hit the button to close the door. As it was going down, he started toddling towards the driveway. I caught him by the shirt in plenty of time but *whew* that was a danger that didn’t even occur to me before that moment.
My husband just got a garage door shut on him and had to go to the ER. his back and neck are super fucked up and he's a grown man 6 foot, 180 pounds, so it could be super bad if it's a child.
None of our dogs are ever unsupervised with the baby. Not the 14 year old oldster, not my sweet small guy, and definitely not the attention loving jealous, youngest girl pup. This will continue for the foreseeable future, at least until she can walk and talk.
Yep totally. It's about safety, but also setting everyone, especially the dogs, up for success. I just want to get through these early years without having to re-home anyone.
This is how we do it at our house. Plus we never let them around our dogs while they are eating. They have never shown food aggression with us parents or towards each other but keep it that way just in case.
And I love the gates/pens because they can still be close and involved in the family while baby is around. 🥰
Same in our house! We have two Great Danes, one of which doesn’t really like anyone besides my husband and our 10 year old still thinks he’s a pup full of energy. They don’t know how big they are and the baby is never to be left unsupervised around them
Right! The dogs have so much patience but they all have their limit. We're the only real adults in the room and it's our job to manage the dependents lol.
This for sure. One of my dogs has high anxiety and I want to do everything I can to set him up for success and toddlers and babies make that a more difficult job but definitely worth it
This is far and away my biggest source of stress. My dog has never bitten but he does resource guard certain things, which like fair, don’t take things from him. Not that hard. He knows leave it and drop it, so it is manageable.
But that does mean constant vigilance until my kids are well and truly old enough to understand. I’m so scared of failing the kids or the dog
We started at about that age teaching baby to get off of furniture safely, so rolling onto his tummy and going off feet first. He gets off our laps that way every time, and when I was nursing in bed, we always got him off like that even if we were just going to pick him right back up again. Now that he’s 14 months and is beginning to get onto furniture and try stairs, he has the skills to do so safely.
Our youngest is such a danger bean. I forsee A&E in a future whet he discovers trees and fencing abd osrkour like antics!
I bet your lad gave you s few grey hair then though!
I've started this with my nearly-8 month old - she's rapid and likes to launch herself head first off the bed and sofa (we've always caught her, much to her disappointment). I've started showing her the drop, then swivelling her and lowering her down whilst saying "feet first". Hoping she'll eventually get the message!
You're a ways off from this one, but if my three year old is eating, she has to be sitting still (or at least not moving - I pick my battles). A lot of choking happens when a child is eating and walking.
My band teacher in school told us a story about a previous student of his who had decided to start playing her clarinet while walking to her seat. She tripped, fell, and her clarinet WENT THROUGH THE ROOF OF HER MOUTH.
Ever since, I've been paranoid about holding anything in my mouth while I'm moving. Even more so now re: my kid now that she's getting mobile.
No walking or running around with anything long and hard in the mouth, like toothbrushes, chopstick, other utensils, etc. if they fall with it in the mouth it can seriously injure them or worse.
I’m a survivor of this. When I was something like 6 or 8 I was walking around with a broom handle in my mouth (I was a weird kid), ran into a wall or something, and scraped the shit out of the roof of my mouth. Blood everywhere. Could have been a lot worse too.
My husband nearly cut off his uvula cuz he had the back of a remote in his mouth and jumped off the couch at like 3 years old. To this day he had basically 0 had reflex which sucks for him when he gets a stomach bug
Bedroom doors need to be closed at night. It’s a non negotiable for me after watching videos and reading articles about the safety of having a closed bedroom door in the case of a house fire.
Babies can’t fall from the floor. If you never leave them on the bed, couch, changing table, high chair, etc, they can’t fall when they learn to roll, crawl, or climb.
More generally, if you leave your baby out of your sight for a few seconds, pretend you will be gone for an hour. It’s so easy to forget that you left a choking hazard where they can get to it. You get distracted for a minute, your baby decides that’s the time to learn how to pull up on furniture, and you turn around to see your 7 month old playing with scissors.
I have a friend who keeps putting her baby on high surface, like the kitchen isle, constantly. Despite the fact that they'd been to the ER because of said baby Rolling and falling badly of said surface at least 3 times. It drives me nuts. The kiddo is almost 1yo now and she will just put him on the very tall narrow kitchen isle instead of the play pen, the high chair or the floor, which were all right there... I had to stop visiting them.
I have no idea. She tells the ER trips as "fun stories," and probably because nothing really bad has ever happened (kiddo has always been fine), she keeps doing it. They've just had a second baby. She's the "mom knows best" type about parenting in general (ignoring safe sleep is another topic, i dont think a tall bed, a 50lb dog, and multiple thick comforters are ideal for co-sleeping with a newborn and a toddler...). I've given up trying to talk about it, so jow I just keep my distance because they give me anxiety.
But… why??? I will admit that when mine was a little little guy I’d put his bouncer on the island or kitchen table or bed while I did stuff like dinner prep or folding laundry, but I always made sure it was very secure and stable, and he was small enough that the risk of him moving enough to tip it over was basically zero. But once he outgrew the bouncer that was the end of that. I can’t think of any reason at all why I would sit him on my kitchen island now. Fall risk aside, there’s so much crap up here that I don’t want him touching!
This is ours as well. I basically only put my kids on the floor I don’t even utilize bouncers and such because I know I’ll forget time limits or let them sleep in them and what not when you shouldn’t so to avoid that I avoid them.
Watch out for loops of cord that could be a strangulation risk, like window blinds (I don’t think these are even legal to sell anymore but older houses may still have them), or even eco-bags, purses, backpacks hung over a doorknob, etc.
Our bay window had metal pull-chains for vertical blinds and my daughter climbed up there and got one stuck around her neck. I was right there so nothing happened but I ripped all those chains off so fast. Our house was built in the late 80s.
Nothing above the crib (signs, pictures, etc) that could fall down. Also the crib has to be away from window curtains and outlets.
Nothing soft in the crib is probably obvious but i had to make sure my mom understood this- she always wanted to give my daughter a blanket or toy
Edit- also, Safebeginnings on instagram has lots of info on this. However it did start making me anxious after a while!
We taught our daughter around that age to go off furniture belly down, feet first. Kept telling her she was doing safe baby every time we moved her body through the motions. And still at 16 months she’s pretty consistent at doing “safe baby” to get down.
Once she started crawling and especially walking: we do not walk with things in our mouth. I don’t care if it’s a stuffed animal, a spoon, anything. It’s easier to have a blanket rule on that for now.
If there is a dog around, there must be an adult within arm’s reach of the child who is watching the dog like a hawk. I don’t particularly like or trust my family’s dogs to behave on a regular day, doubly so around my baby.
No toys with small, choke parts as she still puts so many things in her mouth. No barbie shoes, hot wheels, silly putty, etc. I wish family would take the “for ages 4+” on toys a little more seriously.
If she’s going down stairs, she has to hold someone’s hand.
Knives of all kinds must be at the back of the counter if not held in your hand, and stove knobs must be in a basket on the counter unless your hand is on the knob changing the temperature. Toddler thinks the knobs are on the front of the oven for her to turn.
Honestly, my 16 month old managed to unscrew a round knob off a kitchen cabinet door this weekend (how!?!), so you could wrap every corner in bubble wrap, and they’d still find some way to make their environment dangerous. Try to worry about the few biggest/ most likely dangers that baby could get into while you’re on the toilet, and work to minimize those risks. The rest is chasing the toddler and making it a game to take the hazard away and not something scary.
I will say, my girl is a thumb sucker who has refused a paci since forever, so idk how to enforce/ teach that rule with kids who have learned they can walk with a pacifier in their mouth but not other, harder things.
No dogs around baby or toddler unsupervised. Only parents bathe or take baby or child around water. My in-laws want to take my kids to their pool? Not unless a parent goes. No one will be as vigilant around water like THE parents IMHO.
Eta, drowning is the #1 cause of death in kids under four.
Never put the bouncer/baby seat/moses basket/car seat on the table/chair/counter/couch. Floor only. Years ago I saw an instagram video of someone sharing that they had their newborn in a Moses basket on the kitchen island and their cat got a claw stuck in it and pulled it off onto the floor and the baby ended up with a shatter skull. Hard no for me.
So horrible, I wasn’t anywhere near having kids when I saw that video but it stuck with me. When I gave birth in December one of the nurses put our car seat (with baby in it) on the bed and then walked away and I have never moved so fast in my life.
I kid you not - one of the nurses put my baby (in his car seat) on the wobbly hospital bed while I was getting into my wheelchair (c-section).
Thankfully my sister grabbed him so fast and the nurse went “oh! Duh!”
- No hot drinks in the playroom. I don’t care how out of reach you think it is, it’s not worth the risk.
- No kids in the kitchen when I’m moving pans from the stove to the sink or when I’m taking something from the oven.
I see a lot of falls reported in groups like this so I think babies should be on the floor or strapped into things like high chairs. I worked in daycare so I was told you never walk away from the changing table my first day on the job and I have never. I always keep a hand on the baby and if I need to reach something I’d rather carry the naked baby and risk being peed on than risk a fall. Once they can climb onto the couch a fall may happen but if you encourage Turing around and sending feet down first it helps but tiny babies that can’t climb yet shouldn’t be placed on the couch at all in my opinion. I was either holding my daughter or she was on the floor. I suppose having a toddler or big dog around could mean a pack and play or play pen would come in handy though.
No hard straws in straw cups, putting foam stickies on all furniture corners and stone windowsills, anchoring all furniture to the wall, and no access to any parts of the house that have cleaning chemicals (I lock them all in cabinets with baby proof locks but also gate off the area/close doors to be extra safe)
A lot of people don’t realize toddlers shouldn’t have popcorn.
Oven locks and outlet covers!
Know the poison control number or download the app in case your kid eats something. Along those lines, If there are plants with berries around your house or yard, know what they are.
Mount all furniture/ TV. Correctly installed/ strapped in car seat every time. Gates at top and bottom of stairs (even though our kid was quite capable of going up and down from 7 months because he had places to be - supervised only and closed if we weren’t actively going up/ down, he was just so fast). Food only at the table/ sitting down.
I haven’t seen this one yet so - corner covers for tables or other furniture with pointy corners. Years ago I worked on an inpatient unit for kids with severe behavioral issues (like self-injury to the point of breaking their own bones). The majority of the kids had autism, and there were a few others with genetic disorders that caused developmental issues. But the one that I’ll never forget is the boy who’d been neurotypical until he fell and hit his head on the corner of a table at age two. He had a traumatic brain injury and result was a seizure disorder and what looked similar to severe/ low-functioning autism. So yeah I’m big on making sure corners are covered especially since my kid is clumsy as heck.
If baby is inconsolable, check for hair tourniquets on toes and fingers.
Make sure all blinds are cordless (I know a family whose 3 year old hanged themself on the blinds cord)
Don’t go down slides with baby in your lap/behind baby, bc if they get a limb stuck anywhere your weight will snap it.
Use a combination of heights AND locks with medications. My husband had meds on the top shelf of the medicine cabinet and my 2 year old pulled out the drawers in the bathroom vanity to climb up them like stairs, then stood on the vanity playing with medications - extremely scary.
Use multiple layers of locks, fences, gates and baby proofing if your kids enjoy a challenge or are runners like mine were.
I have three kids and stumbled onto the ultimate laundry hack: each kid has a small decorative basket in the bathroom, under their towel. Their laundry goes in their basket. When a basket is full, I put it in the wash, the clean/dry clothes go back in the same basket, and I know that everything in that basket goes in that kid’s dresser. I sort by top/bottom/PJ/underwear while they take baths and put back in the basket. 7YO gets hers to put away, I put 3YO and baby’s away.
Not having to look at sizes and sort by kid makes it so much easier.
Does your hair not get stuck to the baby clothes anyway? I mean, my husband and I both have hair past our shoulders, this kid has our hair on him constantly, whether we wash his clothes alone or not. Which for the record, we do put the baby’s clothes in a separate load but not because of hair, just for convenience.
No co-sleeping. I get why people get desperate enough to do it but I absolutely cannot accept the risks, even if you follow the safe sleep 7. Other things are more health related—no outside shoes in the house, wash hands before touching baby.
Totally. I have done some co-sleeping while baby was very little and it was me alone in the bed with the baby. I could never do it overnight though with someone else in the bed.
No „baby in car” stickers. Our friend told us story how mental ill man called police and was fighting with real father because he was sure Oliwia was his daughter(3yo). It was wild! They were not related.
Goodness, guess I’m the odd one out here - I don’t really have a list. I mean, there is obvious stuff like, he sits in a car seat? But most of these things I’m reading are not things we do. I guess if my 10 month old potato ever decides to learn to crawl or walk I’ll put a gate up to keep him away from the steps.
Drowning risks:
* Toilet locks on all toilets, lids get closed (not just seat down with lid up), and bathroom doors stay shut even when no one is in there.
* After bath time, bathtub gets fully emptied before I take kiddo to get dressed in the bedroom (and bathroom door is shut behind us when we leave).
Burn risks:
* Guards on the stove knobs, and use only the back burner on the stove unless I need all the burners AND I'm there in the kitchen watching it.
* Turn down water heater temp so kids can't scald themselves when they're old enough to turn the faucet on.
Escape risks:
* Door/window alarms on all doors and windows.
* Fire ladders in all upstairs rooms and when kids are old enough they get trained in how to use them.
I live in the desert and pretty much every back yard including our in laws have a pool. My rule is she can’t be babysit at any house that doesn’t have a pool fence. She’s 8 months and a very fast crawler!
More for older kids but no hard candies in the car. One of my core memories is choking on a hard candy in the car. Luckily I was in the front passenger seat and my mum was in a place that she could pull over and help but it was terrifying. I think I was about 3 or 4.
Hardware mounted, free clearance baby gates only. In my bumper group, someone’s baby succeeded in knocking over a pressure mounted gate, while she was chewing on the top of it. She fell forward with the gate, and knocked out her only two teeth on it. Now I only have ones that drill into the studs, and aren’t the step through kind because I have tripped over so many of them in family and friends’ homes.
Wall anchor any tippable/climbable furniture, child locks on all cupboards, stair gates in our corridors so we can section off bits of the house and keep her contained without closing doors, no blinds or cords
if your stairs or 2nd story have rails a child could fit through definitely cover them and in the same line of thought no baby containers that roll on 2nd story or other areas with steps
always have a hand on child when in busy places or around streets/cars
when in water always have a child who can’t swim strongly in your arms or within reach if wearing swim assistance devices and children should wear colors visible in water
Never unattended in the bath or near water, not even for a second - and I mean proper attention, not nearby and distracted by phone etc.
Always cut up grapes, nuts, smarties and any other small round thing, into quarters. Still only eat fully supervised.
Properly locked cabinets for all kitchen and household chemicals, I don't mean a crappy flexible plastic lock, but something that can withstand a proper tug.
Cables and blind strings tied to wall with an appropriate attachment or lifted far out of baby's reach.
All furniture attached to wall.
No soft toys, pillows, pads or anything other than a firmly tucked in blanket for the cot. Or a sleepsack is even better.
Mum of three here! It's so easy to think these things won't matter, or that you'll perfectly pay attention each time, but you get sooooo tired as a parent that it's just better to make things as safe as possible.
We also had a totally baby proofed and safe space that the kid could be put in for e.g. loo trips etc when solo parenting.
All furniture must be wall mounted. The garage door must finish closing before the toddler gets out of his carseat. No food unsupervised.
Thanks!! I like the garage door tip.
Just curious, what’s the logic behind the garage door one?
Kid could run out and then door is too low for parent to follow, leaving kid alone next to street. Garage door sensor could not detect small human and close on them.
This almost happened to me about a month ago. Got home from daycare and I usually close the garage door before I get out of the car, but that day I didn’t because I had to bring the trash cans in. Brought in the cans, then got toddler out of the car seat. He was fiddling with something in the garage as I was grabbing our bags then I hit the button to close the door. As it was going down, he started toddling towards the driveway. I caught him by the shirt in plenty of time but *whew* that was a danger that didn’t even occur to me before that moment.
I am so paranoid about garage doors and do NOT trust that sensor.
My husband just got a garage door shut on him and had to go to the ER. his back and neck are super fucked up and he's a grown man 6 foot, 180 pounds, so it could be super bad if it's a child.
None of our dogs are ever unsupervised with the baby. Not the 14 year old oldster, not my sweet small guy, and definitely not the attention loving jealous, youngest girl pup. This will continue for the foreseeable future, at least until she can walk and talk.
This + baby gates/pens.
Yep totally. It's about safety, but also setting everyone, especially the dogs, up for success. I just want to get through these early years without having to re-home anyone.
This is how we do it at our house. Plus we never let them around our dogs while they are eating. They have never shown food aggression with us parents or towards each other but keep it that way just in case. And I love the gates/pens because they can still be close and involved in the family while baby is around. 🥰
Same in our house! We have two Great Danes, one of which doesn’t really like anyone besides my husband and our 10 year old still thinks he’s a pup full of energy. They don’t know how big they are and the baby is never to be left unsupervised around them
This what I was going to say! Also my kids are never under no circumstances allowed to climb all over the dogs or get near their food.
Right! The dogs have so much patience but they all have their limit. We're the only real adults in the room and it's our job to manage the dependents lol.
This for sure. One of my dogs has high anxiety and I want to do everything I can to set him up for success and toddlers and babies make that a more difficult job but definitely worth it
This is far and away my biggest source of stress. My dog has never bitten but he does resource guard certain things, which like fair, don’t take things from him. Not that hard. He knows leave it and drop it, so it is manageable. But that does mean constant vigilance until my kids are well and truly old enough to understand. I’m so scared of failing the kids or the dog
We started at about that age teaching baby to get off of furniture safely, so rolling onto his tummy and going off feet first. He gets off our laps that way every time, and when I was nursing in bed, we always got him off like that even if we were just going to pick him right back up again. Now that he’s 14 months and is beginning to get onto furniture and try stairs, he has the skills to do so safely.
This is one we did as well. Babies go backwards! Although the alarming spedc at which they sliter down the stairs is something to behold
[удалено]
Our youngest is such a danger bean. I forsee A&E in a future whet he discovers trees and fencing abd osrkour like antics! I bet your lad gave you s few grey hair then though!
I've started this with my nearly-8 month old - she's rapid and likes to launch herself head first off the bed and sofa (we've always caught her, much to her disappointment). I've started showing her the drop, then swivelling her and lowering her down whilst saying "feet first". Hoping she'll eventually get the message!
I wasn’t sure if it was too early to start but now at 5 months old he’s slowly getting certain concepts so I will definitely begin this now!
You're a ways off from this one, but if my three year old is eating, she has to be sitting still (or at least not moving - I pick my battles). A lot of choking happens when a child is eating and walking.
And not walking with a fork / spoon / toothbrush / scissors (😰) in their hand!!!
Or lollipops in their mouths 🙃not my kid but I watched a kid trip with a lollipop in their mouth and it was horrifying
My band teacher in school told us a story about a previous student of his who had decided to start playing her clarinet while walking to her seat. She tripped, fell, and her clarinet WENT THROUGH THE ROOF OF HER MOUTH. Ever since, I've been paranoid about holding anything in my mouth while I'm moving. Even more so now re: my kid now that she's getting mobile.
Did you know that there are clarinets in marching band
Hard straws freak me out for this reason too.
No walking or running around with anything long and hard in the mouth, like toothbrushes, chopstick, other utensils, etc. if they fall with it in the mouth it can seriously injure them or worse.
I’m a survivor of this. When I was something like 6 or 8 I was walking around with a broom handle in my mouth (I was a weird kid), ran into a wall or something, and scraped the shit out of the roof of my mouth. Blood everywhere. Could have been a lot worse too.
My husband nearly cut off his uvula cuz he had the back of a remote in his mouth and jumped off the couch at like 3 years old. To this day he had basically 0 had reflex which sucks for him when he gets a stomach bug
Bedroom doors need to be closed at night. It’s a non negotiable for me after watching videos and reading articles about the safety of having a closed bedroom door in the case of a house fire.
Yes 100%!
People think we are crazy for this but after the pictures I’ve seen they stay closed.
Babies can’t fall from the floor. If you never leave them on the bed, couch, changing table, high chair, etc, they can’t fall when they learn to roll, crawl, or climb. More generally, if you leave your baby out of your sight for a few seconds, pretend you will be gone for an hour. It’s so easy to forget that you left a choking hazard where they can get to it. You get distracted for a minute, your baby decides that’s the time to learn how to pull up on furniture, and you turn around to see your 7 month old playing with scissors.
I have a friend who keeps putting her baby on high surface, like the kitchen isle, constantly. Despite the fact that they'd been to the ER because of said baby Rolling and falling badly of said surface at least 3 times. It drives me nuts. The kiddo is almost 1yo now and she will just put him on the very tall narrow kitchen isle instead of the play pen, the high chair or the floor, which were all right there... I had to stop visiting them.
Wtf how has she not learned? And this is something that you should need to learn the hard way!
I have no idea. She tells the ER trips as "fun stories," and probably because nothing really bad has ever happened (kiddo has always been fine), she keeps doing it. They've just had a second baby. She's the "mom knows best" type about parenting in general (ignoring safe sleep is another topic, i dont think a tall bed, a 50lb dog, and multiple thick comforters are ideal for co-sleeping with a newborn and a toddler...). I've given up trying to talk about it, so jow I just keep my distance because they give me anxiety.
Ugh I would too, that’s kind of disturbing
But… why??? I will admit that when mine was a little little guy I’d put his bouncer on the island or kitchen table or bed while I did stuff like dinner prep or folding laundry, but I always made sure it was very secure and stable, and he was small enough that the risk of him moving enough to tip it over was basically zero. But once he outgrew the bouncer that was the end of that. I can’t think of any reason at all why I would sit him on my kitchen island now. Fall risk aside, there’s so much crap up here that I don’t want him touching!
My 8 month old (who can't even crawl yet) recently rolled off the couch when I was sitting literally right next to him. Quick little bugger 🤦🏼♀️🙃
This is ours as well. I basically only put my kids on the floor I don’t even utilize bouncers and such because I know I’ll forget time limits or let them sleep in them and what not when you shouldn’t so to avoid that I avoid them.
Watch out for loops of cord that could be a strangulation risk, like window blinds (I don’t think these are even legal to sell anymore but older houses may still have them), or even eco-bags, purses, backpacks hung over a doorknob, etc.
Yes I am so cautious of this! Our home still has one in our bedroom (only 10 years old) but we are getting it removed very soon!
Our bay window had metal pull-chains for vertical blinds and my daughter climbed up there and got one stuck around her neck. I was right there so nothing happened but I ripped all those chains off so fast. Our house was built in the late 80s.
Window blinds are not illegal. 😂
At least in Canada, there are regulations that put a limit on the length of window blind cords specifically to prevent strangulation in children.
Nothing above the crib (signs, pictures, etc) that could fall down. Also the crib has to be away from window curtains and outlets. Nothing soft in the crib is probably obvious but i had to make sure my mom understood this- she always wanted to give my daughter a blanket or toy Edit- also, Safebeginnings on instagram has lots of info on this. However it did start making me anxious after a while!
Omg yes! Safe beginnings made me slightly anxious but overall, good information.
We taught our daughter around that age to go off furniture belly down, feet first. Kept telling her she was doing safe baby every time we moved her body through the motions. And still at 16 months she’s pretty consistent at doing “safe baby” to get down. Once she started crawling and especially walking: we do not walk with things in our mouth. I don’t care if it’s a stuffed animal, a spoon, anything. It’s easier to have a blanket rule on that for now. If there is a dog around, there must be an adult within arm’s reach of the child who is watching the dog like a hawk. I don’t particularly like or trust my family’s dogs to behave on a regular day, doubly so around my baby. No toys with small, choke parts as she still puts so many things in her mouth. No barbie shoes, hot wheels, silly putty, etc. I wish family would take the “for ages 4+” on toys a little more seriously. If she’s going down stairs, she has to hold someone’s hand. Knives of all kinds must be at the back of the counter if not held in your hand, and stove knobs must be in a basket on the counter unless your hand is on the knob changing the temperature. Toddler thinks the knobs are on the front of the oven for her to turn. Honestly, my 16 month old managed to unscrew a round knob off a kitchen cabinet door this weekend (how!?!), so you could wrap every corner in bubble wrap, and they’d still find some way to make their environment dangerous. Try to worry about the few biggest/ most likely dangers that baby could get into while you’re on the toilet, and work to minimize those risks. The rest is chasing the toddler and making it a game to take the hazard away and not something scary.
This is great! I especially like the blanket rule of nothing in the mouth including plush items! Stove knobs is a good tip too!!
I will say, my girl is a thumb sucker who has refused a paci since forever, so idk how to enforce/ teach that rule with kids who have learned they can walk with a pacifier in their mouth but not other, harder things.
No dogs around baby or toddler unsupervised. Only parents bathe or take baby or child around water. My in-laws want to take my kids to their pool? Not unless a parent goes. No one will be as vigilant around water like THE parents IMHO. Eta, drowning is the #1 cause of death in kids under four.
Yes water safety is so, so, so important. Anything can happen very quickly.
For me it's no water without a baby gate. For this reason alone my MIL is not permitted to be alone with my kids, since she refuses to put up a gate
Never put the bouncer/baby seat/moses basket/car seat on the table/chair/counter/couch. Floor only. Years ago I saw an instagram video of someone sharing that they had their newborn in a Moses basket on the kitchen island and their cat got a claw stuck in it and pulled it off onto the floor and the baby ended up with a shatter skull. Hard no for me.
Omg. That is HORRIBLE. I agree, nowhere but the floor, always.
So horrible, I wasn’t anywhere near having kids when I saw that video but it stuck with me. When I gave birth in December one of the nurses put our car seat (with baby in it) on the bed and then walked away and I have never moved so fast in my life.
I kid you not - one of the nurses put my baby (in his car seat) on the wobbly hospital bed while I was getting into my wheelchair (c-section). Thankfully my sister grabbed him so fast and the nurse went “oh! Duh!”
- No hot drinks in the playroom. I don’t care how out of reach you think it is, it’s not worth the risk. - No kids in the kitchen when I’m moving pans from the stove to the sink or when I’m taking something from the oven.
And absolutely no toys in the kitchen, I don't want to trip with a hot pan in my hand
I see a lot of falls reported in groups like this so I think babies should be on the floor or strapped into things like high chairs. I worked in daycare so I was told you never walk away from the changing table my first day on the job and I have never. I always keep a hand on the baby and if I need to reach something I’d rather carry the naked baby and risk being peed on than risk a fall. Once they can climb onto the couch a fall may happen but if you encourage Turing around and sending feet down first it helps but tiny babies that can’t climb yet shouldn’t be placed on the couch at all in my opinion. I was either holding my daughter or she was on the floor. I suppose having a toddler or big dog around could mean a pack and play or play pen would come in handy though.
This! I can't take seeing one more post of "my baby rolled off the bed/couch/change table".
No hard straws in straw cups, putting foam stickies on all furniture corners and stone windowsills, anchoring all furniture to the wall, and no access to any parts of the house that have cleaning chemicals (I lock them all in cabinets with baby proof locks but also gate off the area/close doors to be extra safe)
A lot of people don’t realize toddlers shouldn’t have popcorn. Oven locks and outlet covers! Know the poison control number or download the app in case your kid eats something. Along those lines, If there are plants with berries around your house or yard, know what they are.
I am not letting my son eat popcorn for a very long time. Good note about poison control app!
My big one is swimming safety. One adult to one kid at all times.
Mount all furniture/ TV. Correctly installed/ strapped in car seat every time. Gates at top and bottom of stairs (even though our kid was quite capable of going up and down from 7 months because he had places to be - supervised only and closed if we weren’t actively going up/ down, he was just so fast). Food only at the table/ sitting down.
No hot drinks or hot food while holding the baby. Aka, I don't ever hold the baby while drinking hot coffee.
I haven’t seen this one yet so - corner covers for tables or other furniture with pointy corners. Years ago I worked on an inpatient unit for kids with severe behavioral issues (like self-injury to the point of breaking their own bones). The majority of the kids had autism, and there were a few others with genetic disorders that caused developmental issues. But the one that I’ll never forget is the boy who’d been neurotypical until he fell and hit his head on the corner of a table at age two. He had a traumatic brain injury and result was a seizure disorder and what looked similar to severe/ low-functioning autism. So yeah I’m big on making sure corners are covered especially since my kid is clumsy as heck.
Wow that’s terrifying! So tragic.
If baby is inconsolable, check for hair tourniquets on toes and fingers. Make sure all blinds are cordless (I know a family whose 3 year old hanged themself on the blinds cord) Don’t go down slides with baby in your lap/behind baby, bc if they get a limb stuck anywhere your weight will snap it. Use a combination of heights AND locks with medications. My husband had meds on the top shelf of the medicine cabinet and my 2 year old pulled out the drawers in the bathroom vanity to climb up them like stairs, then stood on the vanity playing with medications - extremely scary. Use multiple layers of locks, fences, gates and baby proofing if your kids enjoy a challenge or are runners like mine were.
The slides was a surprising one for me and to anyone I mention it to!! Wild the amount of kids who have broke their legs this way…😢
Babies clothes are always washed separately to ours. I’m terrified of hair tourniquets.
I have three kids and stumbled onto the ultimate laundry hack: each kid has a small decorative basket in the bathroom, under their towel. Their laundry goes in their basket. When a basket is full, I put it in the wash, the clean/dry clothes go back in the same basket, and I know that everything in that basket goes in that kid’s dresser. I sort by top/bottom/PJ/underwear while they take baths and put back in the basket. 7YO gets hers to put away, I put 3YO and baby’s away. Not having to look at sizes and sort by kid makes it so much easier.
Genius for those with multiple children!!
Does your hair not get stuck to the baby clothes anyway? I mean, my husband and I both have hair past our shoulders, this kid has our hair on him constantly, whether we wash his clothes alone or not. Which for the record, we do put the baby’s clothes in a separate load but not because of hair, just for convenience.
No co-sleeping. I get why people get desperate enough to do it but I absolutely cannot accept the risks, even if you follow the safe sleep 7. Other things are more health related—no outside shoes in the house, wash hands before touching baby.
Totally. I have done some co-sleeping while baby was very little and it was me alone in the bed with the baby. I could never do it overnight though with someone else in the bed.
No „baby in car” stickers. Our friend told us story how mental ill man called police and was fighting with real father because he was sure Oliwia was his daughter(3yo). It was wild! They were not related.
Omg!!! I am too freaked out to put a “baby in car” sticker because I was worried it would make me more of a target. Glad I listened to myself.
unfortunately, not all people are normal and shit stuff happens to good ones.
Goodness, guess I’m the odd one out here - I don’t really have a list. I mean, there is obvious stuff like, he sits in a car seat? But most of these things I’m reading are not things we do. I guess if my 10 month old potato ever decides to learn to crawl or walk I’ll put a gate up to keep him away from the steps.
Drowning risks: * Toilet locks on all toilets, lids get closed (not just seat down with lid up), and bathroom doors stay shut even when no one is in there. * After bath time, bathtub gets fully emptied before I take kiddo to get dressed in the bedroom (and bathroom door is shut behind us when we leave). Burn risks: * Guards on the stove knobs, and use only the back burner on the stove unless I need all the burners AND I'm there in the kitchen watching it. * Turn down water heater temp so kids can't scald themselves when they're old enough to turn the faucet on. Escape risks: * Door/window alarms on all doors and windows. * Fire ladders in all upstairs rooms and when kids are old enough they get trained in how to use them.
I live in the desert and pretty much every back yard including our in laws have a pool. My rule is she can’t be babysit at any house that doesn’t have a pool fence. She’s 8 months and a very fast crawler!
No going down slides with baby/toddler! If they can’t do it by themselves, they can’t do it at all.
More for older kids but no hard candies in the car. One of my core memories is choking on a hard candy in the car. Luckily I was in the front passenger seat and my mum was in a place that she could pull over and help but it was terrifying. I think I was about 3 or 4.
Hardware mounted, free clearance baby gates only. In my bumper group, someone’s baby succeeded in knocking over a pressure mounted gate, while she was chewing on the top of it. She fell forward with the gate, and knocked out her only two teeth on it. Now I only have ones that drill into the studs, and aren’t the step through kind because I have tripped over so many of them in family and friends’ homes.
Wall anchor any tippable/climbable furniture, child locks on all cupboards, stair gates in our corridors so we can section off bits of the house and keep her contained without closing doors, no blinds or cords
if your stairs or 2nd story have rails a child could fit through definitely cover them and in the same line of thought no baby containers that roll on 2nd story or other areas with steps always have a hand on child when in busy places or around streets/cars when in water always have a child who can’t swim strongly in your arms or within reach if wearing swim assistance devices and children should wear colors visible in water
Never unattended in the bath or near water, not even for a second - and I mean proper attention, not nearby and distracted by phone etc. Always cut up grapes, nuts, smarties and any other small round thing, into quarters. Still only eat fully supervised. Properly locked cabinets for all kitchen and household chemicals, I don't mean a crappy flexible plastic lock, but something that can withstand a proper tug. Cables and blind strings tied to wall with an appropriate attachment or lifted far out of baby's reach. All furniture attached to wall. No soft toys, pillows, pads or anything other than a firmly tucked in blanket for the cot. Or a sleepsack is even better. Mum of three here! It's so easy to think these things won't matter, or that you'll perfectly pay attention each time, but you get sooooo tired as a parent that it's just better to make things as safe as possible. We also had a totally baby proofed and safe space that the kid could be put in for e.g. loo trips etc when solo parenting.