Raising Children Network: the Australian parenting website
  • Suitable for 0-3Months

Newborn safety: what to expect

By Raising Children Network
 
 
Keeping a tiny little newborn safe can seem like a big responsibility, but your new role of chief carer and accident prevention officer isn't as scary as it might seem. From day one, you can help protect your precious new cargo by following a few safety basics and creating a safe environment.

Did you knowQuestion mark symbol

Even though newborns are largely immobile until about three months of age, they do wriggle and roll involuntarily. This is why it's important to keep one hand on them whenever they are on a surface above the ground.

 

The reality is that your newborn will not be very mobile until about three months, which helps ease you into your new safety-monitoring role. But even before then, accidents can – and do – happen. When you're only sleeping a few hours a night you can easily lose your grip on common sense, so having a few sensible personal safety rules can really help.

Here are some tips to help you prevent the most common mishaps at this age:

  • Keep one hand on baby whenever she is on an elevated surface, such as a change table or bed, so that she can't fall or wriggle off.
  • Always test that bath water temperature is approximately 36°C (between 37°C and 38°C for an older child) before placing baby in the bath, and stay with her the whole time.
  • Check that she is in a safe sleeping position and environment, whether at home or out and about, with no risk of suffocation or strangulation.
  • Give her a safe environment for any car travel, with a properly fitted baby restraint that you use at all times.

Many of these hazards will continue throughout the whole of early childhood, and others will emerge as your child grows and explores.

Other tips for keeping newborns safe

  • A bottle propped and left in a newborn's mouth can be dangerous, as baby can inhale milk. If something needs your attention in the middle of a feed, ask for help or take the bottle with you. You might want to also read about the dangers of giving babies a bottle in bed.
  • Propping your baby’s dummy in place is dangerous – she cannot spit it out if she has trouble breathing, and she could suffocate.
  • It's better to lose a dummy than attach it to your baby’s clothes with ribbon or string as these could strangle her.
  • Use clothes without ribbons, strings or ties around the neck. Take off any bibs or hooded clothes before putting her to bed.
  • Avoid nursing your baby and drinking a hot drink at the same time, and get friends and relatives to do the same. Read more about how you can prevent scalds and burns.
  • Avoid cooking when holding the baby – either in your arms or in a sling – as she could easily be burned.
  • Smoking and nursing a baby is dangerous – as well as the risk of burns, the smoke can damage baby’s health, and smoking around babies has been linked to increased risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). If you can't give up smoking, smoke somewhere away from the baby and ask other people to do the same.
  • Take cot bumpers, pillows, fluffy toys and other soft things out of cots – these are unnecessary for your baby’s comfort and increase the risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).

Around the house

  • Babies can fall from change tables and couches and out of strollers or buggies even before they are mobile. To stop your baby from wriggling off, keep one hand on her whenever she is on an elevated surface such as a change table or bed.
  • Look for a baby carrier with an adjustable shoulder harness and a waist and crotch strap that you can keep snug so there isn't room for your baby to fall out.
  • To guard against strangling and suffocation dispose of all plastic wrapping in the home as soon as possible. Knot any plastic bags you intend to keep, and make sure plastic is removed from cot or bassinette mattresses.
  • Although newborns aren't very mobile, if you leave your baby on a raised surface in a bouncinette, baby capsule or baby seat, it's possible for her to wriggle herself over the edge and fall. If she has to be up high, keep an eye on her.
  • Read more tips on making your home safe for baby.

Car safety

  • Don’t leave your baby in the car, even if you're just popping into a shop for a few seconds. It's like leaving them in an oven: the temperature rises very quickly, even on a cool day. They can become distressed and dehydrate extremely quickly. This can happen even if you are with them in a parked car on a hot day.
  • If you have a baby capsule, always put your baby on her back, and keep the space between the liner and your baby clear. Accessories such as head supports, lambskin liners and padded mattresses may interfere with the safe working of the restraint and are not necessary for your baby’s comfort.
  • If your restraint has a Velcro body band, place this firmly around your baby’s chest and stomach with the arms free. Keep the Velcro free from fluff and lint, as the lint causes separation – in an accident the baby may slip out.
  • Read our other tips on keeping baby safe in the car, including our guide to fitting and using a baby restraint properly.
 
  • Last reviewed04-05-2006