Be Aware of Your Baby’s Surroundings

Creating a safe and hygienic environment from your new baby

Your newborn’s daily routine will include all aspects of his or her care, like feeds, nappy changes, sleep time, bath time and play time. Whenever you tend to your baby, keep safety foremost in mind. This includes safety from physical injuries as well as your baby’s health and wellbeing.

Playtime for newborns means interaction with close family members. These sessions should be stimulating but gentle. You can spend time holding, talking or singing to your baby, early ‘conversations’ that lay down important foundations for language learning. Remember to support your newborn’s head and back of the neck when you hold, pick up or lie your baby down.

Safety Aspects To Consider 

Let’s take a closer look at your newborn’s environment and how you can implement good safety procedures in your home and surrounds.

Home Safety

A fall can cause serious injury to your baby. He or she may not yet be mobile, but you must be vigilant about where you place them. Even early first movements can result in a fall. If you can’t hold your baby, place him or her on a blanket on the floor or inside a cot with the sides up.

Tips:

• Never leave your baby unattended on a changing table, bed or couch
• Remove all pillows, stuffed toys and duvets from your baby’s cot to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
• Use a sleep sack in place of loose blankets that can be a suffocation risk. Your baby wears the sack and it cannot move over his or her head
• Don’t drink hot liquids or work near a fire or stove while holding your baby
• Never leave your newborn in the care of another child, especially in the bath
• If your home has stairs, install gates at the top and bottom of the stairs before your baby starts crawling (usually around six months of age)

Staying Healthy

Your baby’s immune system is still developing, so it’s essential to provide a hygienic environment to prevent infection. Keeping your home clean is the first step in creating a safe environment for your baby. Vaccines help prevent serious illnesses which can be harmful and even fatal for young children. Most childhood vaccines are given in the first 18 months of your baby’s life. Find out if your medical aid covers these vaccines. After receiving the newborn vaccines, the next vaccines are due at six weeks of age. Always wash your hands with soap and water or use an alcohol-based sanitiser before you handle baby.

Tips:

• If you bottle feed your baby with formula or express your milk, ensure that you sterilise all equipment correctly. Sterilise equipment in bottle sterilising liquid (Milton). You can also use a microwave or stove top. On the stove, bring a pot of water to the boil and place the washed bottles into the water. Keep at a running boil (bubbling) for five minutes
• Wash your hands and surfaces before preparing your baby’s formula. Kitchen surfaces should be kept clean using an antibacterial cleaner, to prevent the spread of food-borne illnesses from bacteria like E.coli and salmonella
• Before putting your baby down on any surface, wipe it down with antibacterial nursery surface spray
• Do not allow anyone to smoke around your baby. Environmental (second hand) smoke contains more harmful chemicals than inhaled smoke
• If you or your partner have a cold sore (herpes simplex virus 1 – HSV-1), don’t kiss your baby as this can spread the infection. HSV-1 can cause complications in a newborn, affecting the lungs, skin, eyes, mouth, liver and nervous system
• If you have older children, remind them to wash their hands before interacting with the baby
• If you have pets, ensure that they are vaccinated and that you follow a regular tick, flea and deworming programme. Never leave your newborn alone with pets

Visitors And Caregivers At Home

In the first few weeks after the birth, it is best to limit the amount of visitors you have in your home. With the COVID-19 pandemic, this is even more essential, not only to protect your baby, but also to prevent transmission of the virus to you or your partner. You can also consider allowing people to visit, but to social distance and not hold the baby.

Keeping your baby at home in the first few weeks is advised. If you need to run errands outside the home, you will need to leave your baby in the care of someone you trust. Ideally, this can be a family member or close friend. If you need to hire someone, follow up with the person’s references and check their credentials.

Tips:

• If you do allow people to hold the baby, ask them to wash or sanitise their hands before doing so
• Ask people who have any signs of a cold or flu, or COVID-19 symptoms to postpone their visit. This includes a caregiver
• Remind your caregiver to wash his or her hands before working with the baby and to keep their mask on when in close contact with him or her

 Safety In The Car

South African law states that babies from birth to three years of age must be secured in a car seat. This law refers only to private transport and not buses and taxis. A baby can suffer serious injury if thrown from the seat in a car crash. Use a seat that is right for baby’s age and weight. Baby carriers can be used in the car but are only suitable from birth to about 9 months or 10kg. The AA’s Layton Beard says that parents should always be cautious when using public transport with a newborn. Where possible, use taxis outside of peak commute times. If you aren’t able to use a baby carrier (you may need to pay for an extra seat), place your baby in a sling on your chest. It’s best not to hold your baby in your arms. Never stand in public transport (bus or train) holding your baby.

Tips:

• Secure your baby in a car seat from the first ride home from the hospital
• Read the manual to ensure that you install the seat correctly
• If you use public transport, to prevent infection with the coronavirus, keep your mask on in the vehicle. Children over the age of five should wear a mask

Safety aspects will change as your baby begins to reach for objects and gets more mobile, like rolling over, crawling and standing up against furniture. Your baby’s safety is your responsibility and accidents can be prevented with good vigilance.

Contact your midwife or healthcare provider for support, advice and counselling.

Resources:  https://www.cdc.gov/;https://www.mottchildren.org/; https://raisingchildren.net.au/; https://www.healthychildren.org/; https://www.verywellfamily.com/; https://www.nhs.uk/; https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/ https://www.webmd.com/; https://www.whattoexpect.com/; https://my.clevelandclinic.org/; https://www.arrivealive.co.za/