Infant Car Seats
Your baby’s first car ride will be when you take him or her home from the
hospital. You will want to do everything possible to assure a safe trip for
your baby. Your baby can be seriously injured in the event of a sudden stop
or crash. Infants are safer when properly secured in an infant car seat.
Child safety seats when used correctly reduce the risk of death by 71% for
Infants and 54% for toddlers!
Nebraska State law requires that all children ages 6 years and under must
always ride correctly secured in a federally approved child safety seat.
| Log
on to www.safekidsnebraska.org
for more information on child safety seats, when the next car seat
inspection will be in your area, or how to contact a Certified Child
Passenger Safety Technician. Avera St. Anthony’s Hospital has four
Certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians on staff. |
Quick Tips for Transporting Children Safely
- No more than one finger should fit between the
child’s collarbone and the harness straps.
- Read and follow the manufacturer’s guidelines for
your child safety seat and the vehicle owner’s manual.
- The harness retainer clip should be located at the
armpit level.
- The child seat should be installed tight. There
should be no more than 1” of movement side to side at the restraint
system’s belt path.
- Children should ride in a rear-facing child safety
seat until reaching the maximum weight for the child seat or the top of
their head is within 1” of the top of the child safety seat.
- NEVER place a rear-facing child safety seat in the
front seat of a vehicle with an active air bag!
- If a forward-facing child safety seat is placed in
an air bag equipped seating position, slide the vehicle seat as far back
as possible, out of the air bag’s path.
- Older children, up to age 8 and 80 pounds should
ride in booster seats.
- Children ages 12 and under should ride in the back
seat, the safest place!
Proper installation of your child’s safety seat is
important!!! To find out when the next Child Safety Seat Check-Up event will be
held in your area go to www.nsp.state.ne.us
and click on “Child Safety Seat Info”
Other Safety Tips
Never leave the baby alone on a table or other high place, where he or she could
roll off. Be sure that the bars or slats on the crib or playpen are no more than
2 3/8 inches apart, so your baby’s head cannot possibly get caught between them.
The mattress should be firm, flat and fit the crib on all four sides. Keep the
crib free of clutter. This means no pillow and no toys which baby could become
entangled and never allow plastic sacks, buttons or pins within baby’s reach so
he or she is not tempted to pick them up and swallow them. Babies are attracted
to colorful shiny objects. Inspect toys carefully to see they are not breakable
and large enough so baby cannot place part of it in his mouth and suffocate.
A baby’s delicate skin can be burned easily. When you take the baby outside,
protect him or her from hot rays of the sun. Always test the water before your
baby’s bath to be sure it is not too hot. Smoking cigarettes is dangerous
because hot ashes could fall on your baby. Smoke in fibers of clothing and
furniture irritates the lungs of babies and do not hold your baby while cooking.
Hot grease could spatter on the baby, and he or she might touch hot pans or
their contents.
From Birth to Five Months
The types of injuries that occur in this age group are
related mostly to the environment of the child. Since an infant starts with very
limited mobility and then becomes a mobile child, many injuries occur when new
developmental stages such as rolling, crawling, or walking begin.
Also, if a home is not child proofed, many children will sustain an injury due
to unprotected household appliances, furniture, outlets, faucets, blinds, and
many other common areas. It is important to get to the height level of the child
and go around the house checking for any potentially dangerous areas.
Here are some other helpful hints to protect baby.
All babies should be placed on their backs to sleep to
prevent SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).
The crib should have a firm mattress, snuggly fitting in the crib without any
choking or suffocating hazards such as pillows, stuffed animals, blankets or
small toys in the crib.
All homes should have working smoke detectors and fire extinguishers, and a fire
escape for the family.
The hot water heater of the house should be set to no higher than 120 degrees
Fahrenheit (50.0 degrees Celsius) to prevent accidental scalding.
Strings from blinds should be out of reach of the crib as these can be a choking
hazard.
No strings should be tied around pacifiers or toys.
Babies should never be left unattended on a changing table or elevated area
where they can roll off. Barriers such as toys or pillows will not prevent a
child from rolling off.
Cigarette smoking should be stopped when a baby is born. Smoking away from their
face is little help since the smoke gets into clothing, skin, hair, furniture,
carpets, drapes, car seats and so on. There is no excuse with today’s knowledge
of the hazards of smoking or the medicine patches and inhalers available to help
in the quitting process.
Gun safety should be emphasized. If a gun is in the home it should be locked and
stored away from the ammunition, which should also be locked.
If cloth diapers are used the safety pin should be carefully closed and locked
in a closed position.
Bathtubs can be slippery so a rubber mat or cloth should be placed on the bottom
of the tub and never leave a baby unattended in a bathtub.
Gates should be used on all staircases.
Baby walkers are dangerous. Not only can they flip over and harm the child the
also inhibit a child’s development for walking.
Milk and milk products, corn syrup, Karo syrup and honey should all be avoided
until at least one year of age as these foods can cause intestinal bleeding,
allergic reactions or carry bacteria.
If you use a crib be sure the sides are always completely raised, the crib is
not near a heater and the crib slats are no more than two and three eighths
inches apart.
Babies should not ride on an adult bicycle even if placed in an infant seat.
Avoid direct sunlight as babies can sunburn very easily. If there will b e exposure to direct sunlight, use at least 15 SPF sunscreen.
Check all toys for loose parts, splinters, and sharp edges.
Cover electric sockets and keep your baby away from hot pipes, stoves, radiators, and fireplaces.
Keep all medicines and poisons such as household cleaning products, soaps, insecticides, and solvents out of reach.
Playpens can us used after three months of age but children should n ever be left there for long periods of time.
Any hot liquids or cigarettes (which you hopefully quit when the baby was born) should not be taken while holding baby since babies start to reach and grab at three to four months.
Since four-month-olds may roll, extra caution should be taken to b e sure that the children of this age couldn’t roll onto something harmful such as a sharp object on the ground.
Children may place objects in their mouths so choking is a major concern. Avoid all objects small enough to be put in a child’s mouth.
Insect sprays with up to 10% DEET can be used. In areas of the country where ticks are prevalent the infant should be checked for tick attachments on the body.
All baby sitters should be at least 13 years of age, mature enough to handle emergencies and known and trusted by parents.
All pools or hot tubs should have fences on all four sides
Install only garage door openers with sensors so they will not close on a child.
Learn Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR). Call Avera St. Anthony’s Hospital for the next training session (402) 336-2611.
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