COVID-19 has changed our routines, increased stress and made everyday tasks harder including for parents of young children.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said Baby Safety Month is a good time to make some safety checks around your home.
People are using cleaning products a lot more with COVID-19 but they should always be put away afterwards and out of reach of young hands. This includes popular cleaning packets like Tide pods that can be harmful, even fatal if swallowed.
Also, never transfer cleaners into containers that are unlabeled.
The CPSC suggests putting the Poison Control Center hotline in your cell phone. That number is 800-222-1222.
Furniture such as TVs, dressers and bookshelves can be tipped over by children. The CPSC recommends anchoring them to the wall and recently released a new PSA called “Anchor It” to drive home the message.
The CPSC said statistics show that every 43 minutes a child is injured from a TV or piece of furniture tipping over. Since 2000, more than 450 children have died in these accidents.
With more families home because of COVID-19, the CPSC said there’s an increased risk of these accidents.
“It is a really challenging time right now with COVID-19. Many parents are working from home, and at the same time they’re taking care of a young baby at home. Nothing harder than trying to juggle those two things at the same time,” said Patty Davis, spokeswoman for CPSC.
For babies, remember bare is best.
Babies should sleep alone in the crib, bassinet or playard. There should be no pillows, comforters or cushions where a baby is sleeping.
Babies should also sleep on their backs to prevent suffocation and reduce risk of the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS.
Davis also recommends no longer using inclined sleepers.
“We have recalled millions of those inclined sleepers. In fact, we are urging consumers just do not use them, you may find that your neighbor is trying to sell one because they don’t know that millions have been recalled, don’t buy it, don’t use one, because we have seen deaths associated with inclined sleepers,” Davis said.
Davis said blinds can be another problem with some cords a strangulation hazard to kids. She said the safest option for your children are cordless blinds that you can find in any store.
Parents looking for deals might be buying toys and baby products second hand on Facebook marketplace or garage sales. Before buying anything, make sure it’s not recalled. You can head to https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls to do that.