Baby-Proofing Your Home

As a parent, one of your first priorities is to keep your child safe. And that starts as soon as you become pregnant. You want your house to be the safest place for both your unborn baby and your newborn. While most homes are safe, there may be a few hidden risks for babies that you may not have considered.

1. Post your emergency numbers by the telephone so you know exactly where they are in case of an accident. These include the pediatrician, your local hospital, the poison control center and your family physician.

2. Employ a smoke-free house rule. Even if you don't smoke, being around second hand smoke while pregnant could put you at a greater risk for serious complications.

3. If you live in a home that was built prior to 1950, test your home to see if it contains lead-based paint, which is harmful to pregnant women and children. Newer homes are less likely to contain lead paint-it has almost been eliminated since 1977.

4. If you plan on doing any renovations before or after the baby is born, test the paint to make sure it is not lead-based. If it is, have it professionally removed by someone who follows all safety precautions. Stay out of the home, with babies and children until the cleanup is complete.

5. Make sure any water damage is repaired prior to the baby coming home from the hospital. Some molds are dangerous to newborns, so clean up now. This may even entail ripping up old, molded carpet that is dry.

6. If you have fuel-burning appliances such as fireplaces, clothes dryers, wood-burning stoves, space heaters and gas and oil furnaces have a professional check for carbon monoxide emissions once a year. Exposure to CO can lead to birth defects and brain damage.

7. Install smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors outside all bedrooms.

8. If your home has a basement, test for radon exposure. You can buy a simple radon testing kit at the store and send the sample to a certified lab for analysis.

9. Have your well water tested for nitrates. Infants fed formula made with nitrate-containing well water can develop serious blood diseases. However, it's safe to breastfeed your baby even if you drink nitrate-contaminated water. It doesn't seem to pass from mother to child.

10. If you drink tap water, have your water checked for lead. Most municipal water supplies are lead free, but some homes may have high contents of lead due to lead pipes that connect the water mains to the pipes in their homes.

11. Safely store your dangerous household items out of the reach of little hands. Medicines, toxic bleaches, oven and drain cleaners, paint solvents, polishes, and waxes should all be locked away in a secure place, out of your child's sight and reach. Low cabinets storing such items should have safety clasps on the inside of the cabinet doors. They can be purchased at any home improvement center or superstore. Don't keep them in plain view in your garage or carport.

12. Keep all plastic items such as dry-cleaning bags, produce bags and trash bags, away from children. Children playing with plastic bags can get tangled in the bag and run a high risk of suffocation.

13. Cover unused electrical outlets with safety caps. Disconnect electrical rollers and hair dryers and other small appliances when they're not in use. Children have been electrocuted by plugged in appliances left unattended that fell into bathroom sinks or tubs. Hide cords of lamps so that young children can't tug on the cord, pulling a heavy lamp on top of them.

14. Keep furniture away from high windows and ledges to reduce the risk of children climbing in or around the windows. When leaving windows open, try to open them from the top or only slightly. Screens are not to be used as safety devices to keep children from falling.

15. Block off stairways so your baby or toddler can't fall. Also, never leave a small child unattended around outdoor deck stairs, concrete steps, or a swimming pool. Swimming pools should always have a fence around them with a door latch that children can't reach.

16. Curtains or Venetian blind cords should be tied above the reach of your baby. Objects with strings or elastics such as toys and laundry bags should not be hung around cribs or playpens where your child might become entangled and choke to death.

17. If you do arts and crafts at home, check your materials. Supplies used in painting, drawing, ceramics and paper mache sometimes contain ingredients that could be dangerous to fetuses, newborns and pregnant moms. Read labels carefully and follow all instructions. And when doing crafts, make sure your area is completely ventilated. Also, make sure that all small pieces used for crafts, such as beads, are put in containers away from where children can get them.