Baby Safety Month has invited a series of topics on preventative health and wellness practices with small children, as well as child safety and child proofing.
SIDS http://www.sids.org/nprevent.htm Sudden infant death is an unexplained disorder where the child stops breathing. This site provides a spectrum of advice, much of which promotes healthy breathing in any child. It addresses prenatal issues as well as providing for your child once born.
Choking and suffocation risk is increased if an infant is co-sleeping with ANY others. Little hats, puffy comforters and toys in a crib slip in or over little noses and an infant cannot tell you if their face, nose or mouth is blocked. The infant also cannot move to free itself. Your pediatrician can advise about beds, bedding and clothing.
Probably the first biggest choking hazard is the use of propping a bottle for infants. http://www.fns.usda.gov/tN/Resources/feedinginfants-ch5.pdf No professionally trained caregiver or medical professional will suggest or invite bottle propping. Too many hazards and risks and doing this is completely counter to healthy bonding and attentions needed by infants and babies. OKDHS considers this behavior to be unsafe for a child and neglectful parenting, FYI.
Don't smoke around your child and don't leave your child in places smoke has been if possible. http://www.examiner.com/article/neighbor-helping-children-breathe-easy
The American Academy of Pediatrics has identified that very young children are at risk for choking on some very specific things.This link gives a list of things (food and toys) that are known to cause choking and possible deaths in children worldwide. (The term biscuits refers to hard cookies). http://www.entnet.org/HealthInformation/upload/Preventing-Choking-in-Chi... Parents, caregivers and siblings need to understand just what those are up front and first make arrangements to keep their child from exposure to this.
One of the best magic tricks of young children is ingestion of stickers and Band aids, both of which are regularly used with children. Many children under 2, it is best to skip these all together or to apply it in some location the child cannot access.
Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation is CPR. The act of opening an airway and keeping breathing going and heart going until medical rescue experts can attend to a child who has stopped breathing. Manually breathing and/or heart function for an infant whose body is not doing it for themselves. Children who have asthma, who are born prematurely and who have chronic illnesses or birth defects may be more at risk and need this skill applied. Your pediatrician can advise you.
Parents, siblings and caregivers in the OKC area can get into infant CPR classes prior to the birth of a child to have preventative training specifically for their new family member or child in their care.
Most hospital birthing centers offer options onsite weekly. Call before you try to go, to ensure the classes are as scheduled. There are some specific things about actually handling an infant in a crisis like this, and performing the exact actions of infant CPR that are very helpful to learn under a trained eye.
INTEGRIS BAPTIST http://integrisok.com/baptist-medical-center-oklahoma-city-ok/womens-ser...
OU Health Sciences Center http://www.whattoexpect.com/forums/oklahoma-city-parents/topic/free-infa...
Here is the general outline of information of what one does during infant CPR http://cprclassesokc.com/http://www.redcross.org/images/MEDIA_CustomProd....
Caregiver eyes and ears on the child are typically the best preventative and the more people who care for the child who understand what should or should not be happening, the better chances of the chidl being safe and healthy.
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