Let me give you a little background of where I’m coming from and you can decide for yourself. It reminds me of that country song, “A Different World” by Bucky Covington.
I grew up on a farm. I watched baby pigs be born and rode in the back of a truck on the highway. I ate blackberries without washing them that grew wild. And, yes, there were probably snakes in the bushes like my mom said. I ate crayons and glue and still think there is nothing better than a deep inhale of fresh Play-Dough and markers. I’m sure my sister and I licked things made with lead paint and I certainly remember eating mud pies and dog food with her (maybe she didn’t really, but I did). And we both turned out just fine. Can't ya tell?
Is the lead worse now? Maybe so, but I’m not one of those extremist who
checks each toy (I might’ve at first – I would’ve wrapped my newborn in bubble wrap if I could’ve).
Jett, now 5, slept in a hand-me-down bassinet beside our bed that was probably more than the recommended life-limit of it. There was little choice about this, though, as we were all 3 living with my parents while building our house – back on the same farm where I ate the blackberries.
My point is this: I am not the go-to safety person. I believe in living life and letting things happen as they do, so to wrap up Baby Safety Month, I’m going to tell you a few things on the extreme end of not-to-dos and tell who I recommend looking to for the to-dos. Bubble-wrapping your newborn wasn’t a logical choice, according to his pediatrician, so I did what I could – and got away with I couldn’t.
Safekids.org gives a list of DO NOT'S. Here are some of the ones I have broken:
- Put your baby to sleep in a baby swing, bouncy chair or car seat. (like everyday)
- Use bumpers or sleep positioners (both)
- (Bath time) - Always keep one hand on your baby. This also applies to older babies who can sit up by themselves. (when he could sit, I gave him the kitchen sink sprayer to play with)
- (Feeding) – Don’t heat the bottle in the microwave (I even heated my breastmilk this way)
- Strap your baby in the highchair (there’s a tray on there)
- Put a lid on my coffee (I didn’t have enough lids)
- Check smoke alarms monthly (no comment)
- Secure furniture to the wall (they could be a little more specific)
- Install window guards above the 1st floor (my safety watch neighbor bought us fire ladders)
- Place ER numbers by every phone and in my cell (911?)
- Have my car seat installation checked by a pro (they saw it when we left the hospital)
- Mail in my registration cards and register to receive recall notices from www.cpsc.gov. (I was too lazy)
Oh, my. I only made it through the BABY safety on this page, too. I wonder what the child safety page has to say… yikes.
I did, however – (much shorter TO DO list)
-Know infant CPR and the Heimlich maneuver (this is a crucial)
(We bought a new transforming crib-to-full-sized bed. So we did this:)
• Follow the directions for assembly (Totally kidding. Since when does one’s husband actually refer to the “Instructions.” It was like an 8-hour process that Dr. Phil would’ve had a hayday diagnosing.)
• Don’t try to fix any part of it with tape, wire, a rope, or by putting a broken side up against the wall. (That’s true. But they shouldn't they specify duck tape? It's in a league of it's own.)
And I pumped and dumped. (That's not on the list, but I did.)
I saw a lot of info about hand-me-downs. Let’s just say we take them, we give them. We wash them and we Clorox wipe them. If they’re broken, we don’t use them or pass them down. That's good, right?
I seriously just learned that a car seat has a 5-year life before it’s considered unsafe? Luckily for me, my parents did a thorough investigation of safety before Jett was born (on everything – including foods I could and couldn’t eat while pregnant and breastfeeding, which they reminded me of daily). His car seat was like the Rolls Royce of car seats and had the highest safety rating of any at the time. Also, luckily for me, they bought it for him.
Now, I refer to someone who totally catches my attention with safety things (like car seats and such). Have you ever heard of The Baby Guy NYC? He is common sense. He is entertaining. He is smart and clever. He does not back down to the bullies and calls out the ridiculous recalls. And, no, he didn't pay me a dime to say this about him - he might even cringe at the fact there's a country song reference on the same page. Here’s a taste of how he teaches parents, like you and me, the basics of safety:
To me, that's some good teaching.
I didn’t read all the books. I tried the cry-it-out sleep thing once. Epic fail. He still co-sleeps sometimes. I am not super safety mom. I consider myself common sense mom. "Stay away from the stove." "Don’t put your finger in the electric socket." "Don’t jump off the counter." I am blessed beyond measure to have a child that has probably more common sense than I do about most things. He has an innate sense of right and wrong – safe and unsafe, which has definitely made my life easier. I feel like Karma would get me with the next child (if that ever happens) and we’d have the child who climbs to the top of the closet in 2.2 seconds or behaves like I did as a child and climbs out of his/her crib and hits the ground with a thud (no fault of my parents).
Kidzies began because of these common sense methods – (Huggerz) keep your drink cool & hands warm, (Protector Pal) don’t let the seat belt to cut into his neck, (Wipeaze Case) keep a one-handed wipes case with me at all times, (Bigger Bagz) have a bag for EASY access to things. Some things just make sense to me and that’s where these products come from – not because I’ve read all of the safety rules and regulations that are changed and updated daily. I respect those who do, but for those who are like me and like to live happily and simply, kudos.
What are your thoughts?
Check out www.safekids.org and www.thebabyguynyc.com for more info on how to be safe.
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