To welcome a new baby is to make a sacred promise – to keep them safe, happy and healthy.
As parents, we have a deep-rooted, built-in sense of protection when it comes to our children. We want to provide for their every need, to keep them in a bubble, to shield them from harm. It’s an overwhelming (and impossible) responsibility … but it’s instinct.
Yet we know that our children will take a tumble, catch a fever, cause our hearts to leap with panic. But it doesn’t make it easier, and the fear is even greater without a support system, without a positive role model … or without simple safety know-hows many of us take for granted. Of course, we can’t protect our children from every boo-boo and boo-hoo, but we can take simple steps to help keep our little ones safe at home. As we recognize Baby Safety Month each September, it’s the ideal time to check our own homes, remind loved ones and raise awareness of small steps that make a big difference.
Four quick and easy fixes can make the difference between peace of mind and a preventable tragedy:
1 – Cover electric outlets.
2 – Lock cabinets and toilets (yes, toilets – they are a drowning hazard in your home!).
3 – Bolt furniture, such as dressers, bookshelves and TV stands, to the wall.
4 – Keep remote controls and other battery-operated small items out of reach.
These changes may feel tedious in the moment, but they are acts of love — quiet, powerful ways we protect our children as they explore their new worlds.
The greatest protective measure for baby safety: you. Children are little sponges, and yours is the first face your child recognizes. So of course, they have the perfect instincts to pick up on your emotions … they can tell if you are happy and content or frustrated, sad or scared.
That’s why here in Laredo, MHP Salud’s Parents as Teachers program emphasizes emotional safety and connection as a key to baby’s sense of safety and healthy development in addition to traditional baby safety tips. (We cover it all!)
With Parents as Teachers, Community Health Worker Parent Educators – who live right in this community, who know this community, who love this community – form strong, trusting relationships with families raising young children. They serve as the long-awaited support system and help parents with children 0-3 with everything from accessing health
services to caring for their own mental health, which is often extremely fragile after bringing a new baby home.
Another unique strength of the program is its emphasis on natural supports through community connections, events where parents can come together to openly discuss safety, ask questions, and support one another.
In honor of Baby Safety month, I ask the community to come together and support our neighbors raising the next generation of Laredo. Would you consider a donation that can provide important home safety items or partner with us to host a community connections event? You can visit www.mhpsalud.org to contact us and learn how to get involved. I can’t think of a greater investment than creating a safer household and a stronger future for our children and community.