Posts Tagged: safety

Babies-Toddler — Comments Off
6
Sep 10

Choosing the Best Bed and Bedding For a New Baby Nursery

There can be no more wonderful experience than the arrival of a new baby into the home. The months of planning, the choice of colours for the baby’s room, the endless hours spent trying to decide on a name, or trying to agree if an existing family name might be the ideal solution, these are finally over and the hard work of bringing up a child really begins.

One very important aspect of the new baby’s room is the type of bed and bedding that should be used. Although comfort and colour are very significant, the vital rule to be adhered to is safety. This cannot be emphasised enough. It must be thought about long and hard.

There have been many investigations into SIDS – or sudden infant death syndrome. These concluded that problems occurred due to very soft baby bedding being used, in which babies mattress being too soft allowed a babies nose and mouth to become covered and unfortunately the air they were exhaling would become the air they would inhale.

This is a precarious situation because instead of breathing oxygen the baby would be inhaling the carbon dioxide they had just released. This could result in drowsiness, coma and occasionally death. Therefore parents are advised to purchase only bedding that is totally suitable for they bed they choose.

As a rule there are three main selections of bed available for a new baby.

These are:

1) a bassinet – this is generally an oblong shaped basket that serves as a bed for a baby. Occasionally round bassinets are found. The bedding must allow the baby enough space for him or her to be able to roll from side to side.

2) a crib – these are normally square in shape, allowing the mattress to be fitted to the size of the crib. The bedding usually consists of a coverlet and small pillows. Only two or three pillows should be included because any more and the baby could stand on them and fall over. A crib is flanked by high side bars for additional safety. Cribs are popular because they can be used from infancy up to two years of age.

3) a cradle – cradles tend to come in a variety of shapes and sizes and have rockers on the stand. Cradles are often chosen because they allow an infant to be rocked, thus soothing their mood and relaxing them for sleep. The bedding should follow the contours of the cradle, but not too much should be placed inside as it is used mainly to rock the baby to sleep.

Out of the three beds shown above the one most often chosen is the crib, due to the length of time it can be used for and thus providing better value for money.

We have established that to avoid unwanted incidents bedding must fit the bed correctly, but what is the most appropriate bedding material?

Cotton is the most popular choice due to its absorbency and coolness on a baby’s skin. Using a variety of designs can help develop a baby’s colour and pattern recognition ability, which is an additional benefit in keeping a baby healthy, happy and stimulated, whilst providing a comfortable and warm environment in which to sleep.

Babies-Toddler — Comments Off
16
Mar 10

Winter Coats and Baby Car Seat Safety

Keeping your baby warm and snug throughout the winter and during cold days is, of course, a priority. However, wrapping your child in a thick, bulky winter coat could have potential complications when it comes to the effectiveness of your babies car seat. In order for your baby car seat to be as effective as possible it is vital that all straps and harnesses must be reasonably tight to your childs body. When you dress your baby in a thick winter coat it is likely that it will compress in the case of an accident or sudden impact, which can have disastrous consequences. Compacting of the winter coat will allow for slack in the harness and straps securing your child which could potentially lead to your child being thrown out of the seat.

In order to keep your baby warm and avoid this potential hazard consider dressing your child warmly in indoor clothes or use a fleece jacket, as these are very warm whilst also being quite thin when compared to other winter coats. Once you have safely buckled your child in their seat and the straps are fitting snug around your infant you can then put a warm blanket or winter coat over the top. Also remember not to place a blanket under your child in a car seat as this too, could compress and complicate the effectiveness of the seat. In the case of a blanket or padding which was already positioned in the seat when you purchased it, then this will have been tested by the manufacturer to ensure its safety.

So keep your child warm but don’t compromise on safety, simply by warming your car before you take your baby inside will make a big difference. Also dress your baby with a hat as a large percentage of body heat is lost through the head. Use these simple steps and you will already of won half the battle to keep your child warm whilst avoiding a potential hazard.

To learn more about car seat safety and view some of the highest quality baby car seats available online, visit Car Seat Baby.

Babies-Toddler — Comments Off
26
Jan 10

How to Install an Infant Car Seat

Nothing matters to a parent more than their child’s health and safety, especially when riding in a car. An automobile accident can happen in an instant and it is vital that a child is properly protected. It is imperative that an infant’s car seat be correctly and securely installed and this can be confusing to a first time user with all the different clips and belts.

Unfortunately, an infant car seat cannot guarantee a child’s safety. However, a properly installed car seat will significantly decrease the chance of death or injury in the event of a car accident. As a result, car safety seats are required by law in all 50 states.

For babies, a car seat is installed into the back seat of the car, facing the rear and is attached to a base that sits on the backseat. The base is securely fastened to the seat of the car with a seat belt. It’s important to make sure that the seat belt of the car is threaded through the proper slots of the base. Check the installation manual, but often a rear-facing infant seat must be installed at a 45 degree angle. It’s also very important to make sure that the straps that hold the baby in the seat are properly and securely fastened and that the infant seat is in the reclined position while in the vehicle. The straps should be threaded through the slots that are just below your child’s shoulders and when fastened, they should be tight enough that only one finger can fit between the harness and the child’s collarbone.

As a child grows older, they will begin to use a safety seat that now faces the front of the car in a seat that is especially suited to this use. With this type of seat, the seatbelt of the car is threaded through the holes in the back of the seat. Again, it’s important to ensure that the seatbelt is threaded through the proper holes. Once it’s securely fastened, the next step is to attach the straps to the safety clips near the rear window of the car, by the headrests. This is a newer, additional system called the Universal Anchorage System and is now mandatory in many jurisdictions. When these latches are connected, you can then tighten them to ensure that the seat is securely fastened and there is very little play in the seat. The last step of course is to ensure that the child is securely fastened into the seat using the straps provided.

No matter what kind of infant car seat that you decide to buy, it’s always important that you follow the manufacturers instructions when installing the seat. Ensure that the seat belts in the car are working properly and that the seat does not have any visible damage as this can cause the structure of the seat to become weak and possibly fail under stress.

Learn more about infant car seats at Infant Car Seat Reviews. Find the advantages and disadvantages to infant car seats and convertible car seats, research key car seat features, and watch video on how to install an infant car seat.

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