Protecting Your Child

This may seem obvious, of course every parent needs to protect their children from harm.” Yet “harm” is not always easy to see—even when it is right in front of your eyes. Because children grow and change so quickly, the possibilities for harm change too. But safety rules never change:

• Protect your child from unsafe people and places
• Protect your child from disease with immunizations and good hygiene
• Protect your child from poisons like second-hand smoke and lead
• Protect your child from burns by checking the temperature of bath water
• Protect your home by having working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors

Other ways to protect your child will change as she develops. For example, the rule of putting infants to sleep on their backs (“Back to Sleep”) doesn’t apply to toddlers who roll over and move around the crib in their sleep. The type of car seat you need and its position in the car also changes as your child grows.

In this Guide, you will read about ways you can protect your child during her first years of life. It doesn’t cover everything—no guide can. But it can help you make the connection between your child’s changing abilities and needs, new potential sources of harm, and how your words and actions must change to keep her safe.