Bringing Home Baby: Health and Safety Tips

Bringing your new baby home can also bring a host of baby proofing worries. Safety gates, toilet locks and outlet covers are just some of the ways you can baby-proof your home. Along with the endless number of baby proofing gadgets on the market, new parents should also consider the benefits of a smoke-free home to keep their baby safe and healthy.

Canadians spend 90 per cent of their time indoors, so it is important to consider how a home's indoor air quality affects you and your new baby. Young children are especially vulnerable to second-hand smoke because their immune system is less protective. When tobacco smoke is present, indoor air is highly polluted, exposing your baby to second-hand smoke.

Smoking away from your baby is not enough to reduce the risk of second-hand smoke exposure. The chemicals in tobacco smoke can get easily trapped in household furniture, carpet and curtains. Breathing in second-hand smoke puts infants and toddlers at risk for allergies, asthma, ear infections and other illnesses.

The following tips can help prepare your home for the arrival of a baby:

- Make sure your home is smoke-free. The arrival of a new baby is the perfect time to quit smoking. Nicotine replacement therapies like Nicorette gum or lozenges or the Nicoderm patch can help you quit smoking for good. Visit www.reducetoquit.ca for helpful quit tips.

- Keep all medications and cleaning products stored in a locked cabinet.

- Secure anything that can topple over, including TVs, bookcases and chests of drawers. Don't place furniture or anything that can be climbed on near a window. 

- Never leave anything on the stairs that you can trip on while carrying your baby.

- It is important to see your home from your baby's eyes. Look at your house from his or her point of view and remove anything hazardous or breakable.

- News Canada