A little while ago the lovely team over at Kiddicare popped over an email into my inbox to let me know that Child Safety Week was coming up and wanted me to get involved.
They asked if they could take a few of my top tips to keep safe with a baby/toddler, of course I said yes as I am all about being a safety squirrel with Finley around, maybe more than most as he is so accident prone! And being a first time Mum myself I am still learning so please pass all your tips my way! I sent over my top tips and luckily this was picked up and published on Babyworld.co.uk - yay :) You can take a peek at my top tips and some other lovely Mummy bloggers ideas too here
I then thought to myself why not write a post and drum a little business up for Child Safety Week, I know that I don't have loads and loads of followers in the grand scheme of the huggggeee blogging world out there but if it reaches just a couple of people and prevents any accidents or potential big disasters then its only taken me an evening typing away...plus points all round in my book :) This isn't a sponsored post nor have I been asked to write this but safety is something I am very passionate about and wanted to get everyone involved.
After a browse online I have found the official Child Safety Week page here - they have some great resources and even a safety shop.
Whilst I was pregnant with Finley I always pictured having to buy the obvious safety bits and pieces such a stair gates, plug socket covers and those cupboard locking thingies that Joey cant open on Friends....but now when I think about it I have learnt that there is so much more!
Its not only 'child proofing' when your baby is mobile and grabbing things of a table but its the tiny dangers I didn't think twice about before having a baby.
Here are a five of my tips to think about but please please please add a comment of anything you think should be on here - I would love to collate them all and create a list for parents to refer to.
1. Smoking!! Passive smoking around little ones is not only unfair on a baby but it also has severe health risks. Just a few include developing asthma, SIDS risks and middle ear disease. You can read further on the NHS website for all the details but if you can please avoid at all costs smoking around anyone especially those tiny fingers and toes.
2.Cot Bumpers - When I was pregnant I was eying up beautiful handmade cot bumpers with ties that circled the whole of his cot and looked so pretty. But the more I searched the more I realised that they are not recommended and can potentially be very dangerous. So I scrapped the idea no matter how much I loved them and went for an airwrap version instead. Yes it was white and plain but it gave me peace of mind knowing that his arms and legs were safe inside and if he rolled into it he could still breath. I would highly recommend these and we loved ours. We don't actually need ours anymore so I am thinking of selling it so if you would like it let me know :)
3. Nursery Furniture - If you can only do a handful of things please consider this! I read a blog post around 5/6 months ago and was left in tears, a mother had described how she lost her darling daughter due to not bolting down her nursery furniture. I wont go into the detail here but if you would like to read this story you can here and also please visit meghanshope.org and show them some love. It may take an afternoon fumbling with bolts and brackets but this is life saving.
4. Blinds! If you have a blinds up in a toddlers bedroom please re-consider, again a few months ago I watched a couple describe their heart ache on This Morning over their little girl was killed by her blind cords. Again here is the link to the paper article. However if you do have them please don't panic as you can buy blind safety holders and wraps to prevent any accidents. We currently have them in Finley's room because of the amount of light they block out, but as he isn't walking yet the cords are way out of reach...even mine! But as soon as he is mobile they will be whipped down asap.
5. First Aid Awareness - As above I watched a week of first aid awareness on This Morning (from memory it was safety week). Please arm yourself with the basics for any emergency with your baby or toddler, we have had a few scary moments that these have come in handy...one being my biggest fear choking. Luckily it wasn't as bad reflecting back but at the time it was heart stoppingly scary. Here is the link to a video that goes through some basics, but there are always First Aid courses available at your local collage or surestart center and most are free.
If you have or would like to pop over to the child safety website they have a parent pledge which also gives you a few tips to think about, from swimming to road safety. You can also request further information and leaflets from them if you want any more ideas or advice.
I know that this isnt mt usual jolly happy post but I really felt that I wanted to contribute and put a few of my ideas out there. If you have any tips at all, from the small to the big pop them in the comments or send them to me in an email and we can hopefully help out any parents out there. A safety list is endless in my eyes. It is so important to keep our children and babies safe, and lets face it they are the most precious things in our lives so I know any parent wants to keep them as safe as they can....sometimes we even considering bubble wrapping them :)
Stay safe everyone, if you have any questions please ask.
Have a great week.
Love Kayleigh x
No comments:
Post a Comment