1. Never leave your baby alone on tables (including change tables), chairs, beds, or other high furniture.
2. Never handle hot food or drinks, such as tea, coffee or food, whilst holding your baby. Burns from hot water and drinks can cause severe scarring to children.
3. Keep your baby out of direct sunlight. Ensure your baby is kept in the shade when possible, use an SPF30 or higher water-resistant sunscreen suitable for babies, put baby in clothing that covers as much skin as possible and pop on a broad brim/bucket style hat. Sun protection information for infants is available from Cancer Council Queensland on www.cancer.org.au
4. Toys must be safe, durable, non-flammable if possible and of course washable. If a toy is furry, remember babies can suck on the fur and swallow it. Toys should not have dangling, small or loose parts that can be pulled or chewed off, or objects that can be taken apart. Be particularly careful with button batteries.
5. Always check the temperature of a bath with your elbow or inner wrist.
6. Never leave baby alone in a bath or near water, even if they are with a sibling.
7. Always look to make sure there are no objects within reach that are small enough to swallow. As a guide, anything small enough to fit inside a toilet roll is small enough for your baby to swallow.
8. Install smoke detectors throughout your home, check them and change the batteries regularly.
9. Carefully supervise any interactions between your baby and animals, especially dogs.
10. As your child starts using their mouth to taste everything, be aware of the dangers of poisoning. Install a lock cupboard preferably up high, in the kitchen, bathroom, laundry and garage to store poisonous and alcoholic materials.
