Baby Safety

Why a Bare Crib is the Safest Place for Baby

Guest post by Authors, Dr. Rachel Y. Moon, M.D. and Dr. Fern R. Hauck, M.D., M.S.

When you’re expecting, it’s easy to be charmed by the dozens of different suggestions for decorating the nursery. Magazines, catalogs, web sites and baby boutiques display what seems like every possible theme for bumpers, comforter covers, changing table pads and mobiles. Friends who quilt or crochet are probably asking for your color preferences as they get started selecting fabric and yarn.

What concerns us as physicians, however, is that so much of the bedding traditionally used in babies’ cradles and cribs has been shown to be unsafe. The fuzzy toy bears and bunnies that look so cute snuggled next to a sleeping baby can also be dangerous.
[continue reading…]

by Guest Writer

{ 7 comments }

Ear Piercing in Babies: Should You Pierce Her Ears?

The baby ear piercing debate is a hot button topic. It ranks up there with the breastfeeding versus breastfeeding debate, or the controversy over cloth diapers vs. disposable diapers. Everyone has his or her own opinion on this topic. Some parents are appalled and disgusted that you would even think about piercing an infant’s ears; others think those little diamond studs in your baby’s ears are cute.

Whether it’s due to cultural reasons or family traditions, some babies’ ears are pierced. If you’re thinking about piercing your child’s ears, you may be wondering,

How old does my child have to be? Is it safe to pierce a baby’s ears?
[continue reading…]

by DP Nguyen

{ 161 comments }

Study: 80 Percent of All Baby Products Are Potentially Toxic

baby products toxic chemicals Children can’t live and thrive in a plastic bubble environment. Germs exist in our world, as do chemicals and carcinogens. That is the sad reality. As parents, we do our best to protect our kids, but some things are out of our control. Take a scary new finding just released this week – 80 percent of baby products on the market contain untested or potentially toxic flame retardant chemicals.

That’s an astounding number – 80 percent of widely used baby products on the market contain harmful chemicals. These baby products include nursing pillows, car seats, changing pads, portable mattresses, rocking chairs, high chairs, sleep positioners, and strollers.
[continue reading…]

by DP Nguyen

{ 2 comments }

Baby Wearing Safety – Tips to Keep Your Baby Safe

Baby wearing has gotten a bad rep in recent years, due to all the baby sling recalls and infant suffocation cases. This shouldn’t deter you from baby wearing, though.

In many of these cases, parents were not wearing their baby correctly and not reading the sling instructions. Baby wearing is safe when it’s properly done and you keep safety in mind. (Remember that mothers have been wearing their babies for centuries.)

It is sad when baby sling manufacturers have to give common sense warnings. Here are a few of my favorites:

“Do not wear your baby in a moving vehicle. Slings are not approved safety seats.”
“Use caution around equipment.”
“Fabric is not flame resistant. Do not wear the sling near open flames . . . Never wear your baby while carrying a hot beverage.”
“Do not bend over while your baby is in the sling, as baby could fall out.”
“Never bike or engage in vigorous activity with baby in the sling.”

The world must be full of parents without common sense with a baby sling company has to print warnings like these. [continue reading…]

by DP Nguyen

{ 8 comments }