407 S Chester Avenue, Bakersfield, CA, 93304
Welcome to Sleepy Baby Box Foundation Family Center
car seat safety guidelines
Children under the age of 2 must ride in a rear-facing car seat until they reach either 40 pounds or 40 inches in height or more. After that, they can ride in a forward-facing car seat with height and weight limits set by the manufacturer.
If your child ages below 8 years, they must ride in a booster seat in the back seat. Those aged 8 years or are having height 4’9″, they must use a seat belt.
NOTE: THE MIDDLE OF THE BACK SEAT IS THE SAFEST PLACE FOR AN INFANT CARSEAT.
(Reference: California Vehicle Code Section 27363)
20 Common Car Seat Mistakes | Farah & Farah (farahandfarah.com)
fall & injury prevention guidelines for babies and toddlers
Keep babies and young children strapped in when using high chairs, infant carriers, swings and strollers. When placing your baby into a carrier, remember to place the carrier on the floor, not on top of a table or other furniture.
For your crawlers and climbers, move chairs, cribs and other furniture away from windows to help prevent window falls.
Baby walkers can be dangerous, so try using a stationary activity center. These items give your baby a chance to practice standing and moving more safely. Look for one that is on a stable, non-moveable base and place it away from stairs, hot appliances or window cords.
If a baby is in a walker at home, the baby must be actively supervised at all times. Walkers can easily fall down stairs, tip over or help your child gain access to hazards in the home.
Secure TVs and furniture to the wall using mounts, brackets, braces, anchors or wall straps to prevent tip-overs.
Screens are meant to keep bugs out, not children in. Properly install window guards to prevent unintentional window falls. For windows above the first floor, include an emergency release device in case of fire.
Use approved safety gates at the tops and bottoms of stairs and attach them to the wall, if possible. Remember to read the manufacturer's instructions and warning labels to make sure you have the right gate for your needs. Not all gates are safe for use at the top of the stairs.
If you are placing your child in a shopping cart seat, use a harness or safety belt. If the belt is missing or broken, select another cart.
safe sleeping guidelines for parents
To reduce the risk of sleep-related infant death, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends:
•The baby should sleep on a firm, flat non-inclined surface. The highest risk for suffocation and sleep related death is the first 9 months of life!
•Sitting devices, such as car seats, strollers, swings, infant carriers, and infant slings, are not recommended for routine sleep in the hospital or at home, particularly for infants younger than 4 months.
•Breastfeeding reduces the risk of sleep-related infant deaths, and while any human milk feeding is more protective than none, 2 months of feeding at least partial human milk feeding has been demonstrated to significantly lower the risk of sleep-related deaths. The AAP recommends exclusive human milk feeding to 6 months, with continuation of human milk feeding for 1 year or longer as mutually desired by parent and infant.
•Parents should sleep in the same room – but not in the same bed as a baby.
•Avoid parent and infant exposure to nicotine, alcohol, marijuana, opioids, and illicit drugs.
•Make sure the baby receives routine immunizations.
•Pacifier use is associated with reducing risk.
•Avoid the use of commercial devices that claim to reduce the risk of SIDS or other sleep-related deaths. There is no evidence that any of these devices reduce the risk of these deaths. Importantly, the use of products claiming to increase sleep safety may provide a false sense of security and complacency for caregivers. Do not use home cardiorespiratory monitors as a strategy to reduce the risk of SIDS.
•Parents are encouraged to place the infant in tummy time while awake and supervised for short periods of time beginning soon after hospital discharge, increasing incrementally to at least 15 to 30 minutes total daily by 7 weeks of age.
•There is no evidence to recommend swaddling as a strategy to reduce the risk of SIDS. If infants are swaddled, always place them on the back. Weighted swaddles, weighted clothing or weighted objects on or near the baby are not safe and not recommended. When an infant exhibits signs of attempting to roll (which usually occurs at 3 to 4 months but may occur earlier), swaddling is no longer appropriate, as it could increase the risk of suffocation if the swaddled infant rolls to the prone position.