USING A HIGH CHAIR FOR THE BABY

Always buckle your baby into the high chair and never leave her alone when she is in the chair. Here are some tips for using a high chair safely:


Be sure your baby's hands and arms are out of the way when you lock the tray
Be sure the tray is locked securely in place
Be sure there are no sharp edges on the tray that could cut your baby
Try giving your baby something to play with on the tray while you feed her

Pacifiers Reduce Risk of SIDS

Doctors now believe that babies should be given a pacifier at bedtime to reduce the risk of SIDS. Experts believe that the pacifier prevents the baby from sleeping too deeply - a problem with babies prone to SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. However, you should not reinsert your baby's pacifier if it falls out during sleep, never coat the pacifier with any sweet substance, and don't force a pacifier on your baby if she refuses it.

Nearly 3,000 seemingly healthy babies die of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS, each year in the United States, making it the leading cause of death among infants who are between 1 month and 1 year old. The cause of SIDS remains a mystery, although recent scientific breakthroughs hold the hope of prevention.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is the sudden and unexplained death of an infant younger than one year old. It rarely occurs in babies younger than two weeks or older than six months - most deaths occur in infants between two and four months - and the incidence of SIDS is greatest during cold weather, according to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). Often referred to as "crib death," SIDS is usually associated with sleeping and the infants often show no signs of trauma or suffering. African-American infants are two times more likely to die of SIDS than white infants, Native Americans are about three times more likely than whites, and more boys than girls fall victim to SIDS. Other potential risk factors include:

1. smoking, drinking, or drug use during pregnancy

2. poor prenatal care

3. premature birth or low birth weight (less than 4.4 pounds)

4. mother is younger than 20

5. infant's exposure to smoke

6. putting the infant to sleep on his stomach

7. a sibling of the infant's died of SIDS

BABY'S BESTFRIEND - - - DOG

There are several important safety issues to consider when introducing your dog and your baby. Make sure your dog is regularly de-wormed and is flea and tick free before allowing any contact with your baby. Put a gate at the door to your baby's room to prevent your dog from entering when you're not there to supervise. Remember that all dogs are capable of aggression when provoked, so take the following precautions to ensure your baby's safety:

* Teach your dog the command "gentle." Work with your dog to accept gentle squeezing and pulling of paws, ears and hair.
* Never play tug-of-war with your dog as it encourages aggressive behavior.
* Teach your baby not to bother the dog while he's sleeping or eating.

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR BABY FROM SWINE FLU?

Everyone loves babies and they think that touching and kissing are so important. In a time when the swine flu is spreading and could soon be in your state, you have to know how to protect your infant from the swine flu. We always think that we are doing our best to keep the little ones safe, but the swine flu is not like any other flu. It can cause secondary health issues even in the healthiest adult or infant. Protect your infant from the airborne particles of the swine flu.

Step 1

Stop the touching and kissing. This means that if a stranger sees you out in public and feels the need to touch your babies hand, politely say please do not touch my baby. You can then explain your concerns about the swine flu and your baby's safety.

Step 2

Make family and friends that come to your home use a sanitized wipe before touching the baby. Moms and dads should also do this, especially if they work outside the house.

Step 3

Sanitize hands and face if you work in the health care or food service business before touching your baby. In many cases, you may also want to wear a surgical mask. Make a funny game out of it so you do not scare the baby.

Step 4

Avoid taking the baby out to crowded places. This is the number one issue. Crowded places have sick people. There is no one day in the world that someone is not outdoors when they are sick. Refrain from taking the baby to the stores or even childcare if possible.

Step 5

Find a surgical mask for the baby to wear if you must take them to a crowded place. Talk to your doctor for a recommendation.

Step 6

Stop other kids from playing with your babies toys. This takes some persistence, but you cannot allow other kids to spread germs to the toys. You may think that this is pushing it to far, but your babies health is at stake until the swine flu is brought under control and stopped.

this article is courtesy of http://www.ehow.com/how_4947732_protect-infant-swine-flu.html -- thanks for the information you've shared.