Keeping Little Ones Safe: Key Health & Safety Tips

Having a newborn can be both exciting and terrifying, especially for first-time parents. It can be overwhelming to know that your new little bundle of joy is completely dependent on you.

So be prepared and take steps to help keep your new baby safe, happy and healthy. Make sure you are staying on top of your baby's doctor appointments, and create a safe and smoke-free environment.

Here are some general health and safety tips to get you started:

Pick a pediatrician before your baby arrives. You will feel more at ease if you do, and this gives the pediatrician time to review any medical problems and offer advice for caring for your newborn before he or she is born. If you don't have someone in mind, ask your OB-GYN or a trusted friend for a recommendation.

Schedule (and keep) well-baby checkups. Well-baby exams and screenings are important so the doctor or nurse can evaluate your baby's health and chart his or her growth and development, including vision and hearing tests. If you are concerned about your baby's health in between visits, especially if you notice a high fever, skin rash, unusual irritability or sleepiness, loss of appetite, yellow skin (jaundice), difficulty breathing, persistent vomiting or diarrhea or dehydration (fewer wet diapers), contact the doctor right away.

Stay on top of vaccinations. Immunizations, also called "shots" or vaccinations, start at birth and are one of the easiest ways to protect your child from more than a dozen dangerous illnesses, including hepatitis B, polio, diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough. Be sure to keep your baby's immunization record in a safe place and bring it to every doctor or clinic visit to ensure your baby is up-to-date. If you have concerns about vaccines, speak with your pediatrician.

Support good (and safe) sleep. Make sure your baby has a safe sleeping environment and establish healthy sleeping patterns for your baby and family. Always place your baby on his or her back to sleep, even for short naps.

Promote good nutrition. For a baby, breast milk is best. It has all the vitamins and minerals your little one needs, plus lots of other health benefits for mom and baby. He or she will probably nurse about 8 to 12 times every 24 hours. If you can’t breastfeed, formula is deigned to be healthy and nutritious for your baby. Babies should be given breast milk or formula exclusively up to the first six months of life. It’s important to follow directions when mixing formula—don’t dilute it to make it go farther, for example, so baby gets the full nutritional benefit.

Think about child care now. It may seem too soon, but time flies, and competition for day care or in-home care can be fierce. Do you plan to return to work? Can you establish flex time? These are all things to think about early on.