Babies will learn to :

• sit without support
• stand with support, including using furniture to pull themselves up
• pick small objects up with the first finger and thumb
• crawl easily
• take things out of containers

Babies still like to :

• put things in their mouths
• play in the water

• Never put a child in a baby walker with wheels. They tip easily and your child might fall down stairs or reach and pull objects down on his / her head that he / she normally could not reach. In fact, walkers don't help children learn to walk and if used for too long they may actually slow development. Instead, use an exersaucer or stationary activity centre.
• Keep the sides up on the crib when your child is in it and you are not beside him / her.
• Don't use bumper pads, and keep toys out of the crib so your child won't stand on them. Your child could get tangled in them or use them to climb out of the crib.
• Use safety gates at the top and bottom of the stairs even before your child starts to crawl — you never know when he or she will try to crawl for the first time! At the top of the stairs, use a safety gate that is anchored to the wall or banister. Children can push over a pressure gate. Do not use old-style safety gates that have V-shaped or diamond-shaped openings. Children can get their heads caught in those openings and choke. Use gates that are made to block stairs, and follow the manufacturer's instructions when installing them.
• Remove unsteady furniture and put padding on sharp corners where your child might bump his or her head.
• Make sure bookcases, lamps, televisions and other pieces of heavy furniture are fastened to a wall so that your child can't pull them down onto him / herself. Always keep the television set back from the edge of furniture so it will not fall over if your child pushes on it. This is a potential danger with new larger-screen TVs because they are heavier at the front.
• Keep furniture away from windows or balconies — your child might learn how to climb and could fall!
• Make sure windows and balcony doors have safety guards so that your child can't open them more than four inches (10 centimeters) or keep them closed and locked. Screens will not keep a child from falling out.
• Never let your child stand in a stroller, high chair or shopping cart. Use the safety straps to keep him or her from climbing out and falling.
• Never let your child climb into the high chair by him / herself.

• Use a rear-facing car seat in the back seat of the car until your child weighs at least 20 pounds (nine kilograms) and is at least 12 months old.
• Follow the manufacturer's instructions when installing a car seat.
• Remember your child is safest in the back seat.
• Never place the car seat in front of, or beside an airbag.
• Look for the Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (CMVSS) sticker that tells you the car seat meets Transport Canada's safety standards.
• If the car seat is borrowed or bought second-hand, make sure that it is in good shape and has not been in a car crash.
• If you have any questions about car seats, call your local public health unit, the Ministry of Transportation or Safe Kids Canada, which are listed on the resource page of this website.

• Set the hot water heater temperature at 49 degrees Celsius so the water isn't too hot.
• Check that the bath water is not too hot before you put your child in the tub.
• Always run the cold water first and last when filling the bath to prevent hot water from dripping on the baby or the baby touching a hot faucet.
• Keep electrical cords rolled up and away from counter edges. Your child might pull on the cord and pull down something hot that could burn or scald him / her. Scalds are the most common type of burn to young children, and make up more than half of all children's burn injuries.
• Make sure all pot handles are turned in toward the back of the stove.
• Keep your child out of the kitchen when you are cooking or put him / her in a high chair or playpen.
• To keep your child from putting things into electrical outlets replace regular electrical outlet covers with spring-loaded covers that hide the socket when they are not in use. Or use screw-on plug covers or durable, snug fitting, flexible outlet caps with existing outlet covers.

• Lock up or store out of reach anything that is poisonous, including medicines and cleaning and polishing materials. Always keep them out of reach while you are using them.
• Remember that there are some plants — such as mistletoe, clematis and red philodendron — that can be dangerous to children.
• If you suspect your child has swallowed something dangerous, or if you need more information, call :
• The Ontario Regional Poison Information Centre, Hospital for Sick Children at 416-813-5900 or toll free 1-800-268-9017 or
• The Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario at 613-737-1100 or toll free 1-800-267-1373.

• Make sure food is cut into small pieces so your child can't choke on it. Foods with smooth or slick surfaces that are round in shape, semi-soft and about the same size as your thumb are particularly dangerous for children (e.g., hot dogs cut into coins, whole grapes). These foods should be cut lengthwise. Be extra careful with raw fruits and vegetables too.
• Your child should sit in a high chair when eating.
• Make sure toys meet Canadian government safety standards and have no detachable parts. Call the Health Canada Product Safety office nearest you for information (see the list of phone numbers located on the resource page of this website).
• Do not put stuffed animals, pillows, bumper pads or thick comforters in your child's crib. They are a suffocation risk. Bumper pads also prevent proper air circulation around your baby's face.
• Keep older children's toys out of reach. Watch out for coins, earrings, beads, buttons and other small objects that your child could swallow.
• Keep cords for blinds or curtains tied up well out of reach so that your child can't get them caught around his or her neck.
• Never let your child play with balloons without watching him / her.

• Stay within arms reach at all times while your child is in the bath or near any water. Small children can drown in as little as two inches (five centimetres) of water and they can't call for help.
• If you have a backyard pool, make sure it is fenced in on all four sides and has a self-closing latch on the gate.
• Never take your eyes off your child when he or she is outside. Backyard pools, buckets, open ditches and ponds can all be dangerous.
• Keep bathroom doors locked with a latch on the outside and out of reach when the bathroom is not being used.
• If you are using laundry tubs, buckets or the bathtub for laundry, be sure to drain the water when you are finished. Never leave your child alone around water. Keep the laundry room locked on the outside with a latch that your child can't reach.
• Children under five should never be put in a "hot tub” — not even with an adult. Hot tubs are too hot for young children, may have high bacteria, and the drain in the tub can trap children.

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