Keeping Your Child Safe: Practicing Safety for a 6 to 12 Month Old Baby
Between the ages of 6-12 months, your child is growing to a stage where they can be very curious. Once they learn to crawl around the house and then eventually take their first steps, your child is now ready to explore their surroundings with zeal.
This stage in your child’s life means that you must take certain precautions to keep them as safe as possible.
Below are some of the best ways to esure the safety of your child:
1) Your child’s wonderful newfound motor abilities mean that they can climb and explore more spaces in the house . . . and that, unfortunately, means they have increased potential for falling and getting injured.
To protect them from such injury, you should have baby gates installed at the bottom of any stairways, and in any rooms, you don’t want the child exploring. Make sure that you keep all sharp-edged objects as far out of reach from them as possible.
2) This is the age at which your child is going to grab anything that comes within their reach. Be extremely cautious in making sure that hot mugs, sharp utensils, and fragile dishes are kept in tall or locked cabinets.
While you are cooking or unable to give your child your full attention, try to buckle them in their high chair, or place them in their playpen.
3) Car safety should be a huge priority for all parents. Make sure that every time you travel with your child you take all the required precautions that need to be taken in a car, with no compromises.
Have a rear-facing car safety seat until they reach the appropriate age. This car seat should never be placed at a location in front of the passenger airbag. The safest space for them to travel in is in the backseat of the car.
Also, make sure that you never leave your child alone in the car and keep your car and its trunk locked when not in use.
4) This is also the age where children try to put things in their mouths. This is essentially how they learn about the world around them in their early stages. They could easily reach for something while you are slightly distracted without you realizing, so try to make sure that someone always has their eyes on them.
It is essential to stop them from eating anything besides food, but if your child does swallow an object then seek medical attention immediately.
5) Continue to baby proof your home with these 5 tips for your child’s safety:
- Keep small toys, coins, and jewelry out of their reach
- Put covers on all-electric outlets (shock hazard) around the house and tape electrical cords to the floor (tripping hazard)
- Put latches on everything including the cabinets and drawers
- Make sure that there are guards on windows and balconies
- Assure that the smoke detectors in your house are working and check them periodically for optimal function
6) Try and maintain bathroom and kitchen safety tips that can keep your child safe. This includes having a childproof knob on bathroom doors and always staying with your child when you are giving them a bath.
A child can drown within a few inches of water, so do not get distracted during bath time. Also, do not hold them in your arms when you are eating anything or drinking anything hot.
7) Around the house, it is also crucial to make sure that all sorts of cleaning materials are kept as far out of reach from the child as possible so that they can’t consume toxic chemicals.
8) It is important at these stages to make sure that your home is a place that is as clean and free from hazards as possible. To ensure this, actively make the inside of your home a smoke-free zone and do the same for your car.
At this stage of life, your child is going through rapid growth and development. This is a stage where you have to take active steps to make sure that your child is getting attention and is being kept as safe as possible.
