Knowing what baby care products you should be looking for can be a troublesome and stressful experience for any new parent. Baby safety is very important, and the anticipation of the responsibility that being a new parent necessarily involves is usually coupled with being inundated with brochures, leaflets and books listing countless dozens of essential products that you will need to purchase and install.
A very important consideration for your new baby is the question of temperature. It is easy for small children to get very cold, particularly in their hands and feet, so make sure that you have plenty of baby clothes, rompers or sleepers, and items to cover the little extremities such as mittens and booties. It is important to make sure that your new baby’s head is always covered, as a good deal of heat can be lost through the head, and for this reason a bonnet or hat is important. This is particularly true if your child is born during the winter months.
There has been much written about how to ensure that your baby is safe whilst sleeping in their cot or Moses basket. Make sure they sleep on their side or on their back and that you do not use pillows, duvets or loose toys, as these can easily cover the face of your baby, resulting in possible breathing difficulties. Keep in mind that cribs and cots must meet federal and ASTM standards, so if you purchase yours from one of the top manufacturers you can be sure that these are met.
It is also important to make sure that your baby is sleeping in a room which is of an appropriate temperature. There are a range of baby thermometers available which clearly indicate the optimum temperature for your baby’s nursery. If the room is quite warm then it is important not to use polyester sheets, and to remove any plastic wrapping that may be around the mattress. Make sure that you have plenty of baby blankets, and warm slick suits or rompers, in case the temperature drops too low.
There are a tremendous number of baby safety devices available to help protect your baby from the various dangers that an average family home presents. From baby gates to door stoppers, from electrical output plugs to fireguards – the sheer number and variety can be overwhelming. But in thinking about baby care products it is easy to forget that many of these items might be better described as toddler care products. It will be several months before your baby stands any chance of being able to get anywhere near any of these household dangers.
For this reason it is usually advisable for new parents to focus on those products that are actually going to be needed in the first few days and weeks of your new baby arriving. Baths and bottles are of particular importance. As a mother, whether you have decided to breast-feed or bottle feed it is sound advice to have bottles and baby milk formula ready just in case.
You will also need to make sure that you have a way of sterilizing the bottles, and it may well be advisable to practice sterilizing and making up the bottles of milk. Make sure that your bottles are glass: Canada has banned the use of plastic bottles due the possible content of Bisphenol A (BPA) in polycarbonate bottles, and many environmental organizations are suggesting that other countries should do the same due to its possible adverse effect on the endocrine system, responsible for the regulation of hormones in the body.
When it comes to transport, car seats are of critical importance and you will have to purchase this before you get baby home. If there is one baby care product that must purchase new it is this. This is not the time to take a chance on second hand goods, the history of which you do not know, and any child car seat could have been previously damaged without your knowledge. Also make sure to check the expiration date – yes, they have one – and that the seat is facing to the rear until your child is over one year old and at least 20 ponds, when he or she can be switched to a forward facing seat.
It is impossible to know for certain which baby care products your own baby will take to best. As long as you have purchased a good quality crib or cot, with appropriate sheets and blankets, a huge number of nappies and changes of clothes for the first few days and are confident in using the baby milk bottles and sterilizers, then the chances are that you will thoroughly enjoy the first few days of having your new baby, although in your sleep deprived state it is unlikely that you will
remember this!
It is often difficult for new parents to understand what baby care products they should purchase for their new addition to the family. The problem is not the range available, but knowledge of all the hazards presented to babies, and how to protect them from the risks these hazards present. Baby safety is specific to new babies that cannot help themselves should they be in trouble.
Go online and check out the latest information on recent recalls of dangerous baby products that has been provided by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
