Common safety hazards to avoid with your infant and toddlers.

       The first safely threat to children in the infants/toddlers age group is choking.  Children of this age tend to put anything and everything in their mouths, typically this is a side effect of teething, objects feel good against their gums and they just want to chew away.  This can be very dangerous young children.  Daycare providers need to ensure that all objects that are in reach of children will not impose a choking hazard,  one rule of thumb is that if it can fit in a toilet paper tube than a child can choke on it.  The area should be inspected  daily for any small objects that could be carried in on shoes or dropped accidently.  Toys should be age appropriate and floors vacuumed or mopped daily before children arrive.  All caregivers should be certified in Infant/toddler CPR for this reason and keep their certification current.

      Another hazard for infants and toddlers is how they sleep.  Infants 12 months and younger must be put down to sleep on their backs to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death syndrome.  Their crib should be free of bumper pads, pillows, stuffed animals and heavy blankets such as fleece so they do not smother if they roll over.  It’s also important to ensure the room they are sleeping in does not get overheated, 75 degrees is the maximum temperature they should be in.

      Properly warming bottles for infants is very important, they should never be warmed in a microwave because it heats unevenly and can result in burns.  Bottles should be heated by placing it in hot water, I used a crock pot that is filled with water and left on low all day long.  I make sure the cord is not reachable to children and the crock pot is pushed far back on the counter so it does not create a safely hazard.  The bottles should be tested for temperature before giving it to the baby. 

      Stairways  are easy for infants and toddlers to fall down once they become mobile.  If you have stairs in your center or home they should be blocked off with a secure baby gate that the child can not climb over.  I have a one story home however there are houses that are two stories on base, those providers are not permitted to use their second story for daycare purposes due to the safety hazard it poses to the children.  It is easy to fix this problem and ensure these areas are blocked off to the children.

      Allergies are very important to watch out for nowadays, more and more children are diagnosed with food allergies and when children are young and are just being introduced to new foods providers need to watch for signs and symptoms of allergic reactions.  In my daycare there are foods that are not to be fed to children under 2 years old.  These include peanut butter, nuts, grapes, hot dogs (for choking hazards), eggs, seafood and strawberries.  When an allergy is diagnosed it is kept in the child’s file.  For severe allergies a child may need an epi-pen, the provider needs to be sure they are trained to use the epi pen and have an emergency procedure in place if the child has a reaction.

      All these practices can easily be passed on to the parents of the children.  When you have your policies and procedures in writing and have the parent sign them, it educates them at the same time.  Discuss with them why you have these rules and how it’s important for everyone to know what to do in case of an emergency.

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