Top tips for child safety: Birth to 11 months

This is an exciting but challenging time for you. You now have a new little person in your life who is totally dependent on you for their care and safety. Your baby is already starting to learn about their world through their senses and as they start to grow, you’ll find them trying to touch and explore anything in reach.

Although they aren’t really on the move yet, your baby is still has a high risk of injuring themselves both inside and outside the home.

This site at www.skip.org.nz gives good information on a child's first year of development.

What you need to know about your baby

They can accidentally fall off a changing table, bed or bench-top when your back is turned.
They can drown in as little as 5cm of water because they can’t lift their head.
Their skin is very thin and vulnerable to serious burns from hot drinks and kai spillages.
When they become more mobile there is a risk of suffocation or choking from breathing in small objects they find on their travels.

Keeping one step ahead

You may think you have a while before your baby is on the move, but it won’t be long before they go from wriggling, sitting and crawling, to standing and walking in a matter of months. So now is a good time to ‘baby proof’ your home. Crawl around your house yourself and do a safety check and see what you find.

The good news is there are lots of simple ways you can keep pēpē safe.

Top tips

Put your pēpē in their own bed and on their back.
If you need to move away from your baby while they are on a changing table, bed or chair, pick them up and take them with you.
Choose to have hot drinks and hot food when your pēpē is not in your arms.
Take a good look around for items such as batteries, coins and toys that could fit inside a toilet paper roll. These are too small for a baby so place them securely out of reach.
Always keep hand and eye contact with your pēpē in the bath and around water.
Mash, grate and finely chop foods because they are easy for a baby to eat and won’t get caught in their airways.
If you’re taking your pēpē in the car always use a car restraint.

Read about all the other safety topics for your baby below

Bites, stings and contact with an animal or plant: Birth to 11 months

Burns and Scalds: Birth to 11 months

Button batteries: Birth to 11 months

Car safety: Birth to 11 months

Choking, strangulation and suffocation: Birth to 11 months

Driveway Runovers: Birth to 11 months

Drowning: Birth to 11 months

Falls: Birth to 11 months

Injuries from objects: Birth to 11 months

Poisoning: Birth to 11 months

Safe sleep: Birth to 11 months