by Anna Casey

Created on: April 26, 2008

When your baby is born he seems so small and helpless. He cannot do anything for himself and as a mother or father you delight in having such an enormous role in your child's life. You have to do everything for him. But one day everything changes. Maybe he pulled your glasses off your face, or grabbed his sister's hair. Either way, he found out that he can control his hands and he can do a lot with them. And as you will see, everything that goes into those adorable little hands also goes into his adorable little mouth. So it is important to remember that anything that might harm him if ingested needs to be removed from his reach. Following is a list of some items you should be aware of as you are moving items out of your child's grasp.

Loose Change

There is a reason loose change is called loose. We all have it and we all leave it on tables, in couch cushions and in holey pockets, sending it to be buried in a rug. Those shiny silver coins fit perfectly in little hands and are irresistible to the infant eye. They also fit perfectly in the windpipe to completely block a baby's airway. So make sure you are careful to keep your loose change out of a baby's reach. Get in the habit of securing it in a high placed piggy bank so it is no longer laying around for little hands to grab.

Older Siblings' Toys

Toys that belong to older sisters and brothers can pose a particular risk because they are more likely to be left around within the reach of a baby starting crawl. Of course some of their toys are appropriate for the baby to play with and should be offered to the little one, but many toys come with pieces that will choke an infant. Barbie shoes, Polly Pocket accessories, marbles, and action figure guns are just some examples of toys that need to be out of baby's reach. Make sure that these items are stored in an area that is not accessible to the baby, and reinforce the idea that these items need to be put away with your older children.

Paper

While a piece of paper may not come to mind as the most obvious thing a baby will choke on, when a piece gets into a baby's mouth, it gets wet and soggy and becomes a choking hazard. So keep pieces of paper, napkins, newspapers and the like out of your baby's reach.

Electronics

Babies love telephones, remote controls, cameras and anything else that beeps and has light-up buttons. These items can, however, be dangerous to a child for a number of reasons. These electronics are choking hazards because they often contain small pieces that

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