September marks the beginning of Baby Safety Month and a perfect opportunity to brush up on your baby safety knowledge. Every year, Safe Kids Worldwide reports that unintentional accidents in the home result in more than 2,200 infant fatalities and 3.5 million injuries every year. It’s up to all Connecticut parents and guardians to understand how these tragic accidents occur and what critical steps they should take to reduce their infant’s risk of accidents.
Baby Injury and Fatality Stats
For decades, motor vehicle accidents have been the leading cause of fatality for all children under 12. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports lack of proper child safety restraints is the most common cause of fatalities in these cases. Safety campaigns such as Child Passenger Safety Week have done an excellent job of spreading awareness and getting parents to focus on keeping their children extra safe when in the car. But there are far more risks inside the home that could cause life-threatening injuries that parents should also be paying attention to.
Babies love to explore as they grow and will get into anything and everything if you allow them to. The average home includes an endless number of hazards that can cause injuries to babies. Thankfully, babyproofing and safety planning can immensely reduce your infant's risk, and knowing the most common accidents is a good place to start.
Safe Kids Worldwide divides infant injuries into two categories: fatal and non-fatal. Here are the Top Causes of Accidents for each type and how many estimated incidents occur each year.
Fatal
- Suffocation (1,207)
- Drowning (577)
- Fire/burn (263)
- Struck by/against (57)
- Fall (55)
- Poisoning (51)
- Cut/pierce (2)
Non-Fatal
- Fall (1,955,939)
- Struck by/against (1,082,809)
- Cut/pierce (270,140)
- Fire/burn (93,064)
- Poisoning (47,273)
- Suffocation (20,216)
- Drowning (3,741)
How To Observe Baby Safety Month
Most accidents involving infants in the home are unintentional and result from a lack of supervision or babyproofing. Safe Kids Worldwide has reported a significant decrease in infant fatalities and injuries over the years when communities continue to discuss the topics of injury prevention in the home.
Baby Safety Month was founded by the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) in 1983 to help parents, guardians, and educators better protect infants in their care. Here are some ways to continue spreading the message that it only takes a few steps to save an infant's life.
Stay Educated
Become an advocate for baby safety by staying educated on facts and trends related to baby safety. You can find toolkits and educational resources to help increase your own knowledge through JPMA that provide information on the history of home baby safety, prevention methods, unsafe products to discard, safe products to consider, and tips on safety planning.
Babyproof Your Home
Don’t just learn and talk about baby safety– implement these practices in your home! Make sure you are baby-proofing your home appropriately based on your child's age and ability. Baby-proofing can include anything from putting up a gate and covering outlets to removing small toys and rearranging your rooms so that unsafe decorations and items are out of reach.
Practice Baby Safety Tips
Some of the most terrible infant tragedies can be prevented with simple steps. These five safety tips by JPMA are ones everyone can start right away:
- Only feed your baby soft snacks to avoid choking.
- Inspect toys often and remove any broken pieces.
- Keep medicine (especially gummies) out of sight and reach of children.
- Never shake or toss your baby to prevent brain damage.
Put baby gates near all stairs and rooms where babies can climb or pull things down.
Social Media Awareness
Use your social media pages to get your family and friends on board with spreading the message of infant safety this month. Using #BabySafetyMonth, you can post photos of your baby, children, or other graphics to help spread the word that babies need your help to stay safe and sound in the home while they grow.
Jacobs & Wallace Connecticut Accident Attorneys
If you or someone you love is injured in an accident, you need an experienced law firm to represent you. Jacobs & Wallace, PLLC, has decades of experience fighting for the rights of Connecticut’s injured victims. Please contact us today for a FREE case evaluation: 203-332-7700.
