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Baby Safety
Showers--Not Just Fun and Games!
By: Scott Corbett
Copyright 2006 Scott Corbett
If you're looking for a creative
and different way to honor new
moms- and dads-to-be and help
them get ready for their baby,
consider throwing a baby safety
shower instead of the usual
"blankets and snugglies" shower.
Traditional baby showers are
great fun and they offer new
parents an opportunity to
prepare their "nests" for the
arrival of a new baby. Usually a
baby shower is intended to give
new parents a leg up in
acquiring essential items like
baby clothing, bath supplies,
bottles or nursing equipment,
toys and games, and special
blankets or other treasures like
silver cups. I’ve always viewed
baby showers as one of the best
ways that a community can come
together around the birth of a
new child. It reminds me of one
of the best aspects of the "old
days" when a town, village, or
neighborhood considered the
birth and caring for a new child
its responsibility, too.
A baby safety shower is in
keeping with these old
communitarian traditions. It’s
more than just fun and games,
it's really a learning
experience for the whole
community where all the
activities revolve around baby
and home safety. Parents and
caregivers certainly have a
great time, but they also leave
with a higher awareness of ways
to keep their new babies safe at
home.
The shower's theme may focus on
a variety of safety issues (see
the Baby Safety Checklist
below), including child-proofing
one's home, nutrition or health.
Also, you can arrange a baby
safety shower for as many people
as you can fit in your party
space. At bigger safety showers,
all of the moms and dads in
attendance--not just the couple
being honored--can visit a
variety of exhibits where
safety-savvy parents illustrate
home safety information with
games, puzzles, songs, prizes,
and other activities. At smaller
showers, it might work better to
have one person lead the group
in discussions and safety games.
Usually baby showers involve a
collection of family and friends
of the new parents, but safety
showers are also a good way to
create and promote partnerships
within the broader community. By
offering, for example, to
distribute baby products donated
by local stores, or by providing
information from local community
health service providers, you
can enhance your ties with the
local business community and
build your relationships with
local health and social service
organizations. All this creates
goodwill in your community and
it provides your invited parents
with welcome information,
products, and services.
Use your creativity to create a
baby safety shower for your
personal situation. The key to
throwing a safety shower that
will be rewarding for all
involved is providing important
safety information in a festive
and inviting setting. So--have
fun, and learn about the
all-important matter of better
safety practices for your
household.
BABY SAFETY CHECKLIST
The guidelines below were
developed by the U.S. Consumer
Product Safety Commission. It’s
important to remember that,
while these standards are based
on sound principles, certain
parents may disagree with some
of them. For example, the
bedroom guidelines state that a
baby should never sleep in the
same bed as an adult. However,
from the Attachment Parenting
perspective, sleeping with one’s
baby is considered an important
aspect of bonding and is even
believed to possibly lower the
incidence of SIDS. Therefore, I
recommend using the following
guidelines as just that,
guidelines, which should be
examined carefully in light of
your own views and beliefs about
baby care giving. Always consult
your pediatrician if in doubt of
the best way to proceed.
Baby Safety Checklist
In the bedroom:
Put your baby to sleep on her
back in a crib with a firm, flat
mattress and no soft bedding
underneath her. Follow this
advice to reduce the risk of
suffocation and Sudden Infant
Death Syndrome (SIDS). To
prevent suffocation, never put
babies to sleep on adult beds.
Make sure your baby's crib is
sturdy and has no loose or
missing hardware. This will
prevent babies suffocating or
strangling by becoming trapped
between broken crib parts.
Never place your baby's crib or
furniture near window blind or
curtain cords. This will prevent
babies from strangling on the
loop of the cord. To prevent
falls, keep children away from
windows.
In the bathroom:
Keep medicines and cleaning
products in containers with
safety caps and locked away from
children. This will prevent
children from being poisoned.
Always check bath water
temperature with your wrist or
elbow before putting your baby
in to bathe. This will prevent
burns to a baby's delicate skin.
Never, ever, leave your child
alone in the bathtub or near any
water. This will prevent
children from drowning. In
addition, keep children away
from all standing water,
including water in toilets,
5-gallon buckets, and pools.
In the kitchen:
Don't leave your baby alone in a
highchair; always use all safety
straps. This will prevent
injuries and deaths from the
baby climbing out, falling, or
sliding under the tray. Be sure
to use safety straps in
strollers and baby swings.
Use your stove's back burners
and keep pot handles turned to
the back of the stove. This will
prevent deaths and injuries from
burns. In addition, keep
children away from tablecloths,
so they can't pull down hot
foods or liquids on themselves.
Lock household cleaning
products, knives, matches, and
plastic bags away from children.
This will prevent poisonings,
bleeding injuries, burns, and
suffocation.
In other living areas:
Install smoke detectors on each
floor of your home, especially
near sleeping areas; change the
batteries each year. This will
prevent deaths and injuries from
fires.
Use safety gates to block
stairways and safety plugs to
cover electrical outlets. This
will prevent injuries from falls
and electric shocks.
Keep all small objects,
including tiny toys and
balloons, away from young
children. This will prevent
choking and possible death.
Additional Information and
Resources
If you would like more
information about baby safety or
about how to organize a baby
safety shower, including
specific tips on planning,
organizing, and coordinating
one, please write to the Office
of Information and Public
Affairs, U.S. Consumer Product
Safety Commission, Washington,
DC 20207. The article above was
adapted from a report prepared
by the Product Safety
Commission.
About Author
Scott Corbett is a
writer and entrepreneur
who writes about
marketing, ecommerce,
and parenting, He
operates the ecommerce
business, Sleepytime
Store (http://www.sleepytimestore.com).
Please also see his
parenting blog @ http://www.babytalkblog.org
.
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