Archive for December, 2009

Baby Stroller Safety

Let me explain why you are the biggest threat to your baby… It is human nature to mess up sometimes, I know, its a unfortunate trait but we are not all perfect and some times we screw up. This is where your baby gets hurt, when you have that small lapse in judgment, stress has taken over and you forget to do something basic like strap your baby into his/her baby stroller, that is when bad things can happen. I am not saying if you don’t do something then automatically something bad will happen, no, I am saying it has a higher chance of happening.

This article is about how you can potentially harm your baby while you are out with Her/Him and to show you some things to look out for and also remember to do. Lets start that list…

Baby Stroller Tipping Over - This is a very common thing now, people get lazy and sometimes they just want to lean on the pram just to get a bit of rest and that is when danger can strike. Adding a lot of weight to the handles of your baby stroller will force it to tip over and send the baby stroller slamming to the ground.

Safety Harness - This is the most important thing when it comes to a baby stroller. The little ones are adventurous and they like to move about, grab things, crawl around and so much more. It is your job to keep them settled down and to stop them from harming them selves. This is why a 5-point safety harness is so great, it keeps your baby from being overly ambitious.

I just want to bring your attention to them two points and just enlighten you of something about the two points above. If you take scenario number 1 and forget to do number 2, what will happen? Its dreadful to think about it I know but I am here to tell you about it so it will never happen.

Dangling Objects - This is also the main thing to look out for, if your child can grab a toy or something which hanging from the pram, this can cause him/her some serious harm. Babies like to put things in there mouth, I don’t have to explain the danger of babies putting random things in there mouth, I am sure you understand how dangerous it is.

Parents with double strollers or even triple strollers face an even greater challenge then a parent with 1 child. Now you have much more to keep aware of because you have 2 or more babies, looking after one is hard enough but 2 will take some serious concentration.
When you buy a double stroller or a triple stroller, make sure you get one with a 5-point harness, it honestly is a saver and will make your life much easier.

Tips For Buying A Baby Stroller

That video explains it all really but I thought I would write down the tips for you so if you want to print them out and take them to the store, you can.

Safety always comes first when it comes to buying a baby strollers, some of the key things to look out for so you know it is safe is…

• Stability – Give it a shake and make sure it will not tip over easily.
• Terrain – Make sure the baby stroller can handle the terrain you will take it over.
• What will you put on the stroller? Take it with you and test it and see if the baby stroller can handle what you want to put on it.
• 5 Point harness! They are crucial to your babies safety.
• Does it detach from the baby stroller and does it become a car seat?
• Wheels! – Does it have foam tires, will you get a puncher for where you want to go?
• Is it height adjustable with a comfy grip for you, is it over all comfy for you?
• When you walk with the baby stroller, do your feet hit anything?
• Can it be folded up easily and able to fit in the car.

Baby Walker Safety

Putting a baby into a walker is like giving someone who cant drive the keys to your car. There is a good chance once that un-qualified driver starts to drive that means that there would be a good chance of a crash.

Current UK data shows that the baby walker has the highest percentage of accidents caused that of any other baby equipment. The baby walker is so dangerous because it allows the baby to pick up a lot of speed, some allow a baby to get up to 1 meter per second of speed. Along with the speed, they give the baby the ability to have access to a greater height which may cause extra accidents.

One of the biggest hazards and the one which causes the most injuries is the ability for the baby walker to tip. If a baby is on the top of the stairs and accidentally tips it or tips it over and bangs his/her head on the oven, this could be very painful, possibly fatal. Even if the baby doesn’t tip it, it still has the ability to reach such objects as tea or coffee and get burnt. Along with tea and coffee, your baby could still reach such items as perfume, mouthwash or alcohol.

One of the biggest mistakes that a parent makes when they have a baby walker, they believe that when the baby is in the walker they are safer then if they were out of the walker. This is not true, if a baby is in the walker, then they will have to show an increased sense of awareness about there baby. It would be a lot safer for a baby to run/crawl around in a hazard free room.

A walker can be healthy for your baby if it used in moderation, if it is used in moderation, it can be very beneficial for your child. If used to much then it can actually harm your babies development. In order for your baby to reach its full potential then it must sit and play on the floor as this is an important step in your babies life.

After reading this article you may be thinking why such an item is allowed to be sold if it is so dangerous. Well its not dangerous if it is used correctly and you are willing to supervise your baby in it and use it in moderation.