A–Z Glossary

button battery

Button battery ingestion occurs when a child swallows a small button-shaped battery, which can cause rapid internal injury.

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Protecting baby from external risks

Protecting baby from external risks

Start with the infant’s developmental vulnerability External risks affect babies differently from older children and adults. An infant has a proportionally larger head, weaker neck control, a narrow airway, immature temperature regulation, and no ability to remove themselves from danger. Even before a baby can crawl, reaching, kicking, rolling, and being carried create opportunities for […]

Object fascination in babies

Object fascination in babies

Why objects are so compelling For a baby, an object is not just a thing; it is a compact experiment. A rattle may be bright, graspable, noisy, cool against the gums, and different when shaken, dropped, or rolled. This combination of sensory feedback makes objects powerful tools for learning. Infants are drawn to contrast, movement, […]

Common mistakes in baby safety

Common mistakes in baby safety

Treating sleep safety as optional One of the most consequential mistakes is assuming that a baby’s sleep position or surface is safe because the baby appears comfortable. Place infants on their backs for every sleep, including naps, on a firm, flat, level surface designed for infant sleep. The sleep space should have a fitted sheet […]

Safe toys for babies

Safe toys for babies

Why toy safety changes so quickly in infancy Babies do not use toys in the way adults expect. A newborn may briefly track a high-contrast object, while an older infant may grasp, shake, bang, throw, pull, crawl toward, and mouth the same object. Oral exploration is developmentally normal, but it means every accessible surface and […]

How to choose safe baby toys

How to choose safe baby toys

Start with age, ability, and setting Age recommendations are an important starting point, but they are not a substitute for observing your individual baby. A label such as “6 months and up” generally reflects expected motor skills, oral exploration, and the size or complexity of components. Consider whether your baby can sit, roll, crawl, pull, […]

Small parts and toy risks

Small parts and toy risks

Why small parts are dangerous for babies Infants and toddlers have several developmental characteristics that increase the likelihood of toy-related choking. They explore unfamiliar objects through mouthing, have immature chewing and swallowing coordination, and may not reliably distinguish food from nonfood items. Their smaller airways also mean that an object that would cause only partial […]

Checking toys for safety

Checking toys for safety

Start with age, development, and the whole play context Begin with the manufacturer’s age recommendation, but treat it as one part of the assessment. Age labels often reflect foreseeable hazards such as small parts, cord length, sound intensity, or complexity. They do not replace observation of the individual child. A premature infant, a baby with […]

Preparing for accidents at home

Preparing for accidents at home

Start with a realistic home risk assessment Accident preparation begins with observing the home as it is actually used, not as it looks after a tidy-up. Walk through each room at different times of day and consider what could happen while carrying a baby, preparing food, bathing, answering the door, or managing fatigue. Notice poor […]