Safety For Your Baby

CHOKING AND SUFFOCATION
Feeding
- Don't leave a young baby alone with a propped-up bottle. He could inhale milk and choke.
- When your child starts on solid foods, do not leave him alone with finger foods such as bread, carrot or apple - if a lump breaks off, he could choke.
- As he gets older, do not let him run around with food in his mouth.
- Do not give whole nuts to under-fives; peanuts are especially dangerous as they can be inhaled into the lungs, and contain an oil which can damage them.

Bedding
- Do not use a pillow until your baby is at least a year old as it is common for babies to get suffocated during sleep.
Clothing
- Do not let your child wear clothes with ribbons or cords that can be pulled tight around the next.

Other items
- Keep polythene bags and plastic away from babies and small children, and teach chilren never to put these over their heads.
- Check that there are no small parts on toys which a child could swallow and take care that your child does not pick up tiny items such as beads, buttons and coins. Button batteries are especially dangerous as they may contain mercury that can leak if swallowed.

SCALDS, BURNS AND DROWNING
- Put cold water into the bath before adding hot, and test the water with your elbow - your fingers can stand much greater temperatures.
- Do not leave your baby or small child alone in the bath even for a moment. A baby can drown in just a few cm of water. If the telephone or doorbell rings, ignore it or get the baby out.
- Do not leave buckets or bowls of water where a baby or young child could fall into them.

FALLS
- Don't leave young baby asleep on the sofa or bed.
- Make sure that the bath and shower have slip-resistant surfaces or a slip-resistant mat.
- Move furniture away from in front of the window so that your child cannot use them ti get up on to the window sill.

POISONING
- Lock chemicals, medicines and cleaning products away or place them where your child cannot reach them.