A recently published study indicated that about 2,000 babies end up in an emergency room every year after falling while having their diaper changed. Moms and dads know how wiggly even their youngest ones can be during a diaper change. Their legs wiggle and jerk, their bodies rock from side to side and before they are only a few months old, they are rolling. Diaper changing is a time ripe for accidents and it’s important to take precautions when it comes to changing their diapers.
If you use a changing table, make sure it has raised sides. If the table doesn’t, choose a table pad that does have raised sides. This can help contain a wiggling baby if they want to roll off. Be wary of slippery surfaces either on the table or on the changing pad itself.
A few more tips to help you keep your baby safe during a diaper change:
- Keep your supplies where you can reach them, but not where the baby can. You shouldn’t have to step away from the table to get a diaper, a wipe or a talc powder.
- Use the safety belt, even when you think you are only stepping away for a second. Definitely use it when you are using a changing table in a public bathroom.
- Practice, while the baby is young, keeping one hand on the baby at all times.
- If you have to go elsewhere to get something for the baby – take the baby with you
- If you use a bed to change the baby, do it in the middle of the bed
- Older babies may prefer the floor for changing, where there is no risk of falling
Safety starts at home and when it comes to your baby, even a small fall can hurt them dramatically. Don’t let a moment’s mischance to look away send you to an emergency room with your tiny one.