Baby-proofing your home
Don’t wait until your little one starts crawling before attending to potential dangers in the home. Here are some things to look out for:
Lead
Because lead poisoning can cause many health problems, it’s important to learn how to keep your baby and growing child safe from it. Here are just some of the sources of lead in the home:
- Paint: A baby or young child may be tempted to eat peeling or chipping paint. Dust from lead-based paint can also get onto a child’s hands, toys, and into her food. If your home was built before 1979, you may want to have the paint in your home tested by a lead-abatement professional.
- Water, especially water from lead or lead-soldered piping. You can have your water tested by your local health department or an independent certified testing laboratory.
- Soil: Lead-contaminated soil is sometimes found near homes, where children can play in it, ingest it, or track it into the house.
- Household items: Common sources of lead include tableware such as ceramic bowls or plates, crystal, some imported vinyl mini blinds, and even backyard play equipment. Some older equipment may have been painted with lead paint that’s now deteriorating.
Contact the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission if you have concerns about lead in a particular consumer product or wish to obtain information about measures to protect your family from lead in the home.
Toxins
Since babies and children are smaller than adults, their metabolic rates are faster, and they’re less able to physically handle toxic chemicals. This means they’re at a much greater risk than adults of being poisoned. Some examples of toxins that could harm your baby and growing children include:
- medicines and household chemicals
- chemicals in the garage or other storage areas, including pesticides, lawn-care products, lighter fluid, paint thinner, paint remover, turpentine, and antifreeze
Make sure your child can neither find nor get at any poisonous substance. Lock all cabinets that hold dangerous products.
You can learn more about preventing poisoning, from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Toxins in the air
- carbon monoxide
- mercury vapors
- asbestos
- fumes or dust from lead paint
- pollutants from kerosene heaters
Even breathing dirty mist from an unclean humidifier can cause health problems.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission also provides information indoor air quality.
Products
GERBER® Nipples
Gerber offers a wide variety of shapes and sizes.
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