Car seat safety is discussed in another section under the information for parents section
Crib, Bassinet, Carriage, Playpen, Changing Table
The crib for your baby must have slats or bars no more than 2-3/8 inches apart, no unsafe design features, and a snug-fitting mattress. To avoid blocking your baby’s breathing, do not have pillows, large and fluffy toys, blankets, or loose plastic sheeting in the crib, bassinet, carriage or playpen. Cover the mattress with a waterproof cover, quilted pad, and well-fitting, soft baby sheet. Healthy infants should be placed on their back when put to sleep. Always be with your baby while he is on a flat surface above the floor unprotected by side rails, to avoid injury from falls. Keep one hand on your baby while he is on a changing table.
Burns
A baby’s delicate skin burns easily. When you take the baby outside, shade him from the hot rays of the sun. Set your water heater no higher than 120°F (48.8°C). Always test the temperature of your baby’s bath water to be sure it’s not too hot. Smoking cigarettes while feeding or playing with your baby is harmful to the lungs. It is also dangerous because hot ashes could fall on your baby. Also, don’t hold the baby while cooking or drinking hot liquids. Hot food could splatter on the baby, he could touch hot pans or their contents, or hot liquids could spill on your baby.
Supervision
As your baby grows, keep small objects such as buttons, pins and toys with small parts out of the baby’s reach so he/she cannot pick them up and swallow them. If you offer a pacifier, use only a commercially made one that meets safety standards and doesn’t have a long cord that could wrap around the neck and cause choking.
Never leave your baby alone with a person you don’t know. Never let any stranger take your baby from you, no matter what the excuse. Don’t leave your baby alone with a pet, no matter how “friendly” the pet has been. Don’t leave your baby alone with any young child.
Room Temperature
Try to keep an even, comfortable temperature in your baby’s room as newborn babies don’t tolerate exposure to very warm or cold temperatures and drafty environments.
Clothing
A baby does not require any more layers of clothing than an adult. Dress your baby according to the temperature of his environment. Some babies are sensitive to a particular fabric or laundry detergent. Consider that as a possible explanation for skin rashes.
Outdoors
You can take your baby outside whenever the weather is pleasant but remember that newborns have limited immunity from infectious diseases, so contact with ill people should be avoided.
