Safety
Accidents are the leading cause of death for children. Most of these deaths could easily be prevented and it is therefore very important to keep your child's safety in mind at all times. Here are some tips to keep your infant safe:- Use a rear facing infant or convertible car seat, and place 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 his crib is safe: have no more than 2 3/8 inches between the bars; the mattress should be firm and fit snuggly 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.
- Make sure that used or hand-me-down equipment, such as car seats, strollers 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.
- Set the temperature of your hot water heater to 120 degrees F to prevent scalding burns.
- To prevent choking, never leave small objects or plastic bags in your baby's reach.
- Back To Sleep: put your baby to sleep on his back (alternate positions) to reduce his risk of SIDS and never put him down alone on a waterbed, bean bag, or soft blanket that can cover his face and cause choking.
- Prevent falls by not leaving your baby alone on a bed or changing table.
- Install smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and use flame retardant sleepware.
- Until your baby is older and his immune system is stronger, it is probably a good idea to keep him from large groups of people or other sick children to minimize his exposure to infections.
- Know signs and symptoms of illness: fever (call your Pediatrician right away if your baby has a temp over 100.4 before he is 2-3 months old), decreased appetite, vomiting, irritability, and lethargy.
- Back to sleep to reduce the risk of SIDS
- How to protect your new baby in the car
- Car Seats
- Childproofing
- Hidden Dangers
- Poison Control
- Home Safety Quiz
- Child Safety Quiz
- Kids in Hot Cars Alert
Taking Your Child to the Doctor
You will be making frequent visits to your Pediatrician during the first year of your child's life, so that his growth and development can be closely monitored. Remember to write down any questions you may have for your doctor before the visit so that you don't forget them.At the four month checkup, you can expect:
- A complete physical exam, with special attention to his hips.
- An examination of your infant's growth and development.
- A review of feeding and sleep schedules.
- Measurement of his height, weight and head circumference.
- Counseling for injury prevention.
- Immunizations: DTaP, HepB, Hib, IPV, Prevnar, and RotaTeq.
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