Happy Mother’s Day from Swartz and Swartz P.C.!

Swartz & Swartz P.C. is celebrating all the moms out there, who care so much about the safety of their children. So, relax this Mother’s Day and give mom the gift of safety. Here are a few safety steps and safety devices that can give mom peace of mind and can help reduce the risk of injuries to babies and young children, as reported by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC):

Bare is Best: Put your baby to sleep in a crib that doesn’t have quilts, comforters, or pillows. Nearly half of the infant crib deaths and two-thirds of bassinet deaths reported to CPSC each year are suffocations caused by pillows, quilts, and/or clutter in the baby’s sleeping space. Footed pajamas should be enough to keep your baby warm.

Safety Latches and Locks: These are a no-brainer to help prevent children from accessing medicines, toxic household cleaners (including single-load liquid laundry packets), and sharp objects.

Furniture Anchors: Before your baby gets mobile, crawl around your home and explore. Do you see a dresser, bookcase, or another piece of furniture? That looks fun to climb, doesn’t it? Buy and install low-cost anchoring devices to prevent a tip-over tragedy.

Water Dangers: Any time your baby is near water, you should remain on high alert. It only takes a few inches of water and a short lapse in supervision for a child to drown. Stay focused on your baby constantly when your baby is in the bath. Do not rely on bath seats or siblings to assist with bath time. PoolSafely.gov also has many simple steps for parents to take in and around pools and spas, including using fences and alarms.

Small Batteries: Coin or button-sized batteries that power devices like remote controls, electronic games, toys, musical cards, and hearing aids can cause life-threatening chemical burns in the body in as little as two hours. Even dead batteries can cause serious injuries.  Battery compartments should be secured with a tight screw or strong tape if there’s no screw on the product. Put any item with an unsecured battery up and out of sight and reach of a child. Throw away used batteries in a way that children can’t get to them.

Corded Products: Cords such as those on window coverings and baby monitors have strangled children. Keep all cords out of a baby’s reach. Baby monitor cords should be at least 3 feet away from your child’s reach.  CPSC urges parents to use cordless blinds or window coverings that have inaccessible cords in homes with young children.

Working Alarms: You never know when you’ll need a working carbon monoxide or smoke alarm—until a disaster happens.  Working CO and smoke alarms should be placed on every floor of a home. Here’s a guide to more information on smoke alarms.