After the First Weeks

Temperament

Babies differ from each other in many ways. They may be big or small, fast growing or slow growing, early developers or late developers, brown-eyed or blue-eyed. One of the most important ways in which babies differ is in their temperament—the usual way they react to you, to other people, and to things around them. You will find it much easier to understand, to take care, to teach, and to enjoy your baby if you pay attention to his or her temperament.

There are at least nine ways in which young babies differ from each other in "temperamental characteristics." No one knows whether these characteristics or differences are inherited, whether they are formed when the baby is growing during pregnancy, or whether they develop in the first weeks of life. In any case, they are present in the first months of life, and you will want to understand how they affect your child.

Activity Level—How much does your baby move around? When in bed, does your baby wiggle all over the crib or stay in the same place? When you change a diaper or put on a shirt, do you have trouble because of constant wiggling or does your baby lie quietly and let you change the diaper?

Safety and Accidents

Babies born healthy are more likely to die from accidents than from any illness. Accidental injuries can cause severe and prolonged handicaps. You can prevent almost all accidents by knowing what your baby is able to do and making sure it is done in a safe way. Use the following checklist to be sure your home is safe.

Birth to 4 Months

What babies can do:

• Eat, sleep, cry
• Roll off a flat surface, wiggle a lot
• Need full-time complete protection

Safety Checklist

Bath

• Check bath water temperature to avoid scalds.
• Keep one hand on baby at all times in bath.

Falls

• Never turn your back on a baby who is on a table, bed or chair.
• Always keep crib sides up.
• If interrupted, put your baby in the crib, under your arm, or on the floor.

Burns

• Put screens around hot radiators, floor furnaces or stoves.
• Don't smoke when you are caring for your baby.
• Be sure that foods, bottles and bath water are not too hot.

In Crib, Bassinet, Carriage and Playpen

• Be sure bars are close enough so that your baby's head can't get stuck (3 1/2 inches at most).
• Be sure the mattress fits the crib snugly so your baby can't slip between the mattress and the sides of the crib.
• Don't use a pillow.
• Select toys that are too large to swallow, too tough to break, with no small breakable parts and no sharp points or edges.
• Keep pins, buttons, coins and plastic bags out of reach.
• Never put anything but things a baby can eat or drink in a baby bottle, baby food jar or baby's dish. Someone might feed it to the baby.
• Don't use a harness or straps in the crib.

In Automobile

• Use a safe infant restraining device.
• Keep your baby in a place where he or she cannot touch or otherwise disturb the driver.

Supervision

• Don't leave your baby alone with 1- to 3 1/2-year-old children.
• Have the telephone numbers of physician, rescue squad and poison control center posted near your telephone.

4 to 7 Months

What babies can do:

• Move around quickly
• Put things in mouth
• Grasp and pull things
• Need more time out of the crib

Safety Checklist

• Recheck the Birth to 4 Months List.
• Never leave your baby on the floor, bed or in the yard without watching constantly.
• Fence all stairways, top and bottom.
• Don't tie toys to crib or playpen rails—a baby can strangle in the tapes or string.
• Baby-proof all rooms where the child will play by removing matches, cigarette butts, and any other small objects, breakable objects, sharp objects, tables or lamps that can be pulled over.
• Cover all unused electric outlets with safety caps or tape.
• Keep high chairs, playpens, and infant seats away from stoves, work counters, radiators and furnaces.
• Keep all electric cords out of reach.
• Keep cans, bottles, spray cans, and boxes of all cleansers, detergents, pesticides, bleaches, liquor and cosmetics out of reach.
• Never put a poisonous household product into a food jar or soft drink can. Someone may swallow it or feed it to the baby.
• Don't paint—with paint which contains lead—any toy, crib, furniture or woodwork, or any other object baby might chew. Look for a label on the paint container which says "Conforms to American Standard 266.11955 for use on surfaces which might be chewed by children." If a toy or crib is old and repainted, better remove the old paint completely and refinish it with safe paint.
• If your house was originally built before 1940 and has any chipping paint or plaster, repair it completely and cover it with wallpaper or safe paint. If there is chipped paint or plaster in halls or other places you can't repair, have it tested for lead by the health department and move out if you can't get it repaired.

8 to 12 Months

What babies can do:

• Move fast
• Climb on chairs and stairs
• Open drawers and cupboards
• Open bottles and packages
• Need more opportunity to explore while you are watching

Safety Checklist

• Recheck the Birth to 4 Months List.
• Recheck the 4 to 7 Months List.
• Baby-proof all cupboards and drawers that can possibly be reached and opened. Remove all small objects and sharp objects, breakable things, household products that might poison, plastic bags, and foods that might cause choking (such as nuts or popcorn).
• Keep coffee, hot foods, and hot pots and pans out of your baby's reach.
• Don't use a dangling table cloth; it can be pulled and everything on it can crash on the baby and the floor.
• Keep medicines and household products that might poison in a locked cabinet.
• Be especially careful when you or someone else in the family is sick. Medicines are likely to be out of their usual safe place, and your baby may want to imitate you by eating them.
• Keep medicines separate from household products and household products separate from food.
• Never give medicine in the dark. Turn on the light and read the label—EVERY TIME.
• Never leave your baby alone in the bathtub or wading pool. Babies can drown in only a few inches of water. They can also turn on the faucet and scald themselves.
• Avoid sunburn.
• Get 1 ounce of Ipecac Syrup from the druggist and keep it on the medicine shelf to treat poisoning.