by Isabelle Esteves

Created on: September 01, 2008   Last Updated: September 05, 2008

Emergency Rooms around the country see over 2 million children and infants yearly as a result of falls, that is a staggering number. It is up to us as parents and guardians to try to eliminate the potential falling situations that our babies may find themselves in.

One of the first rules of child safety is never leave a baby unattended even for a moment. Always strap them into their infant seat, their highchair, their walker and their bouncy seat. This is the best way to keep our baby from becoming one of the statistics.

Gates are a parent's best weapon against falls on stairs. Stairs are a great attraction for infants and the first place a crawling baby will head for is the nearest flight. It isn't just the top of stairs that need to be gated, it is also the bottom. Many babies have crawled half way up the staircase only to tumble back down.

It is important to keep the sides of the baby's crib up at all times. Babies learn to pull themselves to a standing position all too soon and the next step is over the side. AS soon as the baby is trying to pull themselves up, also lower the mattress. Placing some pillows or a thick blanket beside the crib will also cushion the inevitable fall over the side.

Window locks are one of the most important safety devise that you can install. Babies and small children do not recognize the fact that window screens are not secured and if pushed on will fall out taking the baby with them. Especially on any window above the ground floor this is absolutely imperative. Make sure that there is no furniture that will induce a small child to climb up to the window. I think everyone remembers Conner the son of Eric Clapton and Carla Bruni falling to his death through an open window, this is a tragedy that should have been avoided.

The best thing that you can do to help protect your baby from falls is to never leave them unsupervised on any piece of furniture. Make sure that your highchair has a nice wide base to make it stable. Look for any potential surfaces in your home that could cause your baby to fall. Assuming that they are starting to learn to walk make sure that trips are avoided by not having any cords where they can be stumbled over.

Babies and children will fall, that is a fact of life but our job as parents is to make sure that we make their environment as safe and free of potential dangers as we possibly can.

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