Children are curious. They like to explore. They like to put things in their mouth and stick their fingers in unusual places, play with hanging cords, and push or pull over furniture. No wonder even the most harmless room can be a minefield of dangers for them. There are many measures you must take to protect your child from injury or accident in the house. Here are some safety tips that will help keep your child away from the accident.

• Wash their hands: Newborn babies have very little protection against infection, so it is important that you provide a clean, hygienic environment. One of the most important things you can do is to make sure that anyone who handles your baby, including you, has washed their hands first.
• Keep sick people away from your kids: People who have infections, for example, colds, flu or cold sores (herpes simplex), should not come in contact with your baby. Cold sores can be particularly dangerous to a newborn baby.
• Opt for vaccines: Vaccinations are available to protect your baby against some infectious diseases. Your maternal and child health nurse can advise you.
• Be careful around children: Because babies can develop new skills quickly, adults can be caught unaware and injuries may happen. If you understand a child’s development, this will help you plan ahead for safety. Different risks appear at every stage of development and change takes place very rapidly in the early months and years.

To make sure your baby is safe at all times you should:

• Supervise young children whenever they are near the baby.
• Keep animals away from the baby. The change in the household when there is a new baby may upset some pets.
• To avoid serious scald burns, do not drink hot drinks when holding your baby.
• When you change clothes of your baby, make sure you put them down in a safe place, for example, on a change table with raised edges to prevent the baby rolling off. Remember to keep one hand on the baby at all times. Never leave your baby alone on the change table. To prevent falls, some parents choose to change the baby on the floor.