Keeping your infants safe

SEPTEMBER 29, 2022       

COMMUNITY EDUCATION NEWS — September is Baby Safety Month. Founded and sponsored by the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA), Baby Safety Month was created to educate parents and caregivers on the safe selection and use of juvenile products, and in turn, to keep babies safe. We teamed up with experts at JPMA to talk about a few baby safety tips in the following categories: car seat safety, locks and latches, safe sleep, and safety and sustainability.   

JPMA professionals, Meredith Birkhead, JPMA government affairs manager, Joe Colella, child passenger safety (CPS) professional, and Lisa Trofe, JPMA executive director, discuss important tips to keep the babies and young children in our lives safe.

Car Seat Safety

There are a few tips you should follow to keep your child safe in a car seat. Colella recommends choosing your car seat based on the child’s development. “Delay transitions from rear-facing to forward-facing, forward-facing to booster, and booster to seatbelt. Use each restraint mode until reaching the maximum height or weight allowed by the instructions for that mode,” explained Colella. Following these guidelines will really help you maximize safety by using the correct car seat for your child’s current physical development.

When using a car seat, it is important to keep harnesses snug. “Correctly adjusted harnesses limit how a child’s body would move in a crash to help reduce injury,” said Colella. Adjusting a harness includes properly attaching and adjusting the top tether on a forward-facing car seat to reduce the risk of possible head injury.

After your child has outgrown the forward-facing car seat, transition to a booster seat until they are at a point where the seat belt fits them correctly without the booster seat. “Booster seats help keep seat belts on strong bones to protect internal organs,” Colella emphasized. It is important to not rush this transition for your child’s safety. If you need help with your car seat, visit your car seat manufacturer’s website, contact manufacturer customer service, or attend a car seat inspection event in your area with a trained and certified technician.

Locks & Latches

There are also important locks and latches tips to follow to keep your infants safe. Locks and latches are used to keep certain things from your child, such as medicine or chemicals, that could cause harm through exposure. You will want to ensure you put locks and latches on all cabinets in bathrooms, the kitchen, the garage, and the laundry room. To be extra safe, you will want to move your chemicals and medicine up high. “Even with locks and latches, make sure to move all chemicals and medicine to a high location where little hands can’t reach them,” explained Birkhead. It is also recommended to keep the phone number of the poison control center in your phone and on your refrigerator in case of emergency. This way, if an emergency occurs, you will not have to waste time scrambling to figure out which number you should call. Another good mindset to adopt is that babyproofing is not something that you should do once and consider it “finished.” “Consider babyproofing an ongoing process, and monitor your child’s growth and development frequently,” explained Birkhead.

Safe Sleep

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, each year in the United States, about 3,500 infants die of sleep-related infant deaths. For this reason, it is essential for parents and caregivers to learn and implement safe sleep practices for babies and young children. The safest place for a baby to sleep is in a bare, JPMA Certified crib or other approved sleep product. When your child falls asleep outside of the crib, move them to the crib as soon as possible. Make sure to use a new crib that has not been recalled, a crib assembled with manufacturer hardware and instructions, and a properly fitting mattress. While a bare mattress may look uncomfortable to adult eyes used to blankets and pillows, infants sleep safest in a crib with only a mattress and fitted sheets. “Never add extra bedding, pillows, blankets or stuffed animals to [the] baby’s crib,” emphasized Trofe.

Safety and Sustainability

Sustainability is a big concern right now with all of the products people consume. Since infants grow quickly, and you may only get a few months or years out of a product, there is also concern about saving money whenever possible. “While reusing products is sustainable, it’s important that baby and children’s products adhere to the latest safety standards. When it comes to items like cribs, mattresses, and car seats, we recommend buying new gear so you can ensure these products meet the latest safety requirements,” said Birkhead. “Items like clothes, toys, and books are great secondhand purchases.” Beyond using secondhand products, there are other ways parents can take care of babies safely while also protecting the environment. Look for products that are made with sustainably sourced materials such as organic cotton or recycled components. Some manufacturers have buy-back or repair/replacement programs and retailer trade-in programs where products are recycled sustainability. These can be another great way to shop sustainability.

While injuries are the leading cause of death of children younger than 4-years-old in the U.S., most injuries are preventable. Use products following the manufacturer’s instructions, take necessary safety measures, and always practice active child supervision. While many of the above tips can help keep your infants safe, there is no substitute for actively supervising your child at all times.

Birkhead earned her certificate in Product Safety Management from St. Louis University. She oversees the JPMA Certification Program and provides regulatory and compliance guidance for JPMA’s manufacturing members.

Colella has been a child passenger safety (CPS) professional and advocate for almost three decades. Colella has taught and worked with professionals and parents. He is a certified passenger safety instructor for JPMA, a past chair of the National CPS Board, an inductee of the CPS Hall of Fame, and a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers committee on child restraint system standards.

Trofe has experience overseeing JPMA’s government affairs functions and membership, education, and product safety programming. Currently, she is responsible for JPMA’s strategic and operational oversight. She holds graduate certificates in Product Safety Management and Advanced Product Safety management from St. Louis University. She is also a Certificated Association Executive.

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