Parenting is an acquired skill where one mostly learns on the job. But unknowingly , you may be making unsafe choices for your child. For all you parents making an attempt to do a good job at bringing up a child , here we are enlisting the 5 common mistakes even good parents make!
1. Unsafe Sleeping Practices
- Infants should be placed for sleep in a supine position (wholly on the back) for every sleep by every caregiver until the child reaches 1 year of age, to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Side sleeping is not safe and is not advised.
- The safest place for an infant to sleep is on a separate sleep surface designed for infants close to the parents’ bed.
- Infants should be placed on a firm sleep surface (eg, mattress in a safety-approved crib) covered by a fitted sheet with no other bedding or soft objects to reduce the risk of SIDS and suffocation.
- Soft materials or objects, such as pillows, quilts, comforters, or sheepskins, even if covered by a sheet, should not be placed under a sleeping infant. If a mattress cover to protect against wetness is used, it should be tightly fitting and thin.
(Source : http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2016/10/20/peds.2016-2938)
2. Feeding honey to <1year baby
- The American Academy of Paediatrics does not recommend giving honey to infants under 12 months of age because it could contain a bacterium that causes infant botulism.
- Even occasional use of honey, as cold and cough remedy , should be avoided till the age of 1 year and preferably till 1.5 year .
3. Ignoring Oral Health :
- Oral hygiene measures should be implemented no later than the time of eruption of the first primary tooth. Tooth-brushing should be performed for children by a parent twice daily, using a soft toothbrush of age-appropriate size and the correct amount of fluoridated toothpaste.
- Frequent night time feeding with milk (bottle and breast-feeding, both) are associated with Early Childhood Caries(ECC). Breastfeeding greater than seven times daily after 12 months of age is associated with increased risk for ECC.
(Source: http://www.aapd.org/media/policies_guidelines/g_infantoralhealthcare.pdf)
4. Toxic Plastic Toys
A new global survey has found that toys, some of which were sold in Delhi, contain high levels of toxic elements usually found in electronic wastes.The study claimed that contaminants that can damage the nervous system and reduce intellectual capacity were found in toys made out of recycled plastic and given to children to exercise their brains such as the Rubik’s Cube.(Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/)
- Look for toys labeled “BPA-free,” choose safer plastics, or go with natural materials.
- Keep PVC and polycarbonate plastic out of the toy box.
- PVC (vinyl) is the soft, flexible plastic commonly found in bath toys, dolls, inflatables, and squeezy toys. Toys labeled “phthalate-free PVC” may still contain harmful or untested chemicals. BPA-containing polycarbonate is a clear hard plastic also found in toys.
- Avoid polyurethane foam stuffed toys.Instead look for toys filled with polyester, down, wool or cotton. These materials are less likely to contain flame retardants or offgas.
- Pick plastic-free toys when possible made from materials such as solid wood, cloth, paper, or wool.
(Source: https://toxicfreefuture.org/top-10-tips-choosing-safer-toys/)
5. Mobile Infant Walkers:
A vast amount of injuries occur from falls down stairs, and head injuries due to mobile walkers. Walkers do not help a child learn to walk; indeed, they can delay normal motor and mental development.
- Stationary activity centers should be promoted as a safer alternative to mobile walkers.
- These stationary activity centers allow children to bounce, swivel, and tip, and they provide parents an alternative to the use of mobile infant walkers.
(Source: http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/108/3/790)
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