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What are some other ways that I can keep my baby safe?

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Host: What are some other ways that I can keep my baby safe?

Dr. Ann Kellams: So other things to think about, the baby is not going to stay a little, tiny, infant for long. So start thinking right when you go home from the hospital about how you are going to childproof the house. One recommendation would be to make sure the water heater is not set any higher than 120 degrees. That's a temperature that will allow a nice, comfortable shower, be able to wash your dishes etcetera, but will not scald and will not give the baby a third degree burn if they accidentally turn the faucet in the bathtub or climbed up to the sink. Think about small objects because around six months they are starting to grab the things and by nine months, picking up little things with their fingers, worry about choking. Plastic bags, cords for the mini blinds, all of those things need to be removed from the baby's reach. Toxins, poisons, cleaning liquids all of these things and especially, if this is your first baby it might mean changing somewhat your lifestyle. Covers for the plugs in all of the places so that because the first thing they want to do when they see a hole is stick something in it and then being careful about older siblings and making sure that you have ways of monitoring them together and not leaving them unsupervised and gates for the stairs for when they start crawling and rolling.

Expert: Dr. Ann Kellams

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics

Dr. Ann Lenox Kellams, assistant professor of clinical pediatrics in the Division of General Pediatrics and medical director of the newborn nursery at the University of Virginia Children’s Hospital, is an expert in newborn care and breastfeeding. Kellams teaches pediatric clinical skills to students and residents and authored the Newborn Nursery Resident and Student Curriculum and Orientation Manual for UVA More »