As your infant begins to put things into his mouth, be extra sure that he has safe play things. Safe play things: Are too large to fit into your baby’s mouth, ear, or nose Are light enough so they won’t cause harm if your baby drops them on himself Are non-toxic and made of non-breakable materials — never glass Do not have spikes or wires in them and are not sharp Do not have any pinch points that might catch your baby’s fingers, skin, tongue or lips. Begin now to have safety inspections of your child’s toys. Even at this young age, children can have serious accidents with toys. Infants can partially swallow rattles while sucking on them or by falling on them when rolling over. The rattles can get jammed into the throat, causing the child to choke. Squeeze toys and other teething toys have also been involved in choking babies. Make sure that no part or end of a rattle can fit into your child’s mouth. A baby’s mouth is very flexible, and can stretch to hold larger shapes. To keep your child safe: Take all toys out of the crib when your baby sleeps. Avoid hanging pacifiers or toys from long strings above your baby’s bed. They can come
loose and get tangled around your baby’s neck. Don’t hang them around his neck either. Don’t give plastic bags to your baby as playthings. Remove stuffed toy animal eyes and buttons if they are loose or pinned on. Remove loose metal squeakers from squeak toys. Buy toys that are washable. Children suck and chew on toys so make it easy to keep the toys clean. Regularly check to see that the toys are not broken or about to break. Use the safety straps and keep the infant seat on the floor, away from steps and other dangers. Your baby is now strong enough to wiggle out of an infant seat and tip it over.

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