How to Choose and Use Products Choose a carriage or stroller that has a base wide enough to prevent tipping, even when your baby leans over the side. Use the basket underneath and don’t hang purses or shopping bags over the handles because it may cause the stroller to tip. Choose a baby carrier or sling made of a durable, washable fabric with sturdy, adjustable straps. Use a carrier or sling only when walking with your baby, never running or bicycling. Choose a swing with strong posts, legs, and a wide stance to prevent tipping. Never place your swing or bouncer on an elevated surface such as sofas, beds, tables or counter tops. When choose a changing table, before leaving home, measure the

Top Hidden Hazards- Play our hidden hazards game! Magnets - Small magnets can be easily swallowed by children. Once inside the body, they can attract to each other and cause significant internal damage. Keep magnets out of your child’s reach. If you fear your child has swallowed magnets, seek medical attention immediately. Loose Change- Change floating around in pockets or purses may wind up on tables around the house, where curious children may be attracted to the shiny coins and ingest them. A great way to ensure this doesn’t happen is to assign a tray or jar for loose change and keep it out of a child’s reach. Tipovers - Tipovers are a leading cause of injury to children and the best way

The Basics Ideally, the best time to babyproof is early in your pregnancy before you register so you can include needed safety items on your registry list. The best way to babyproof? Get down on your hands and knees and think like a baby! This is a great activity for both mom and dad since males and females tend to look and inspect different aspects of the home and safety measures in general. Take care of all the obvious hazards such as exposed electrical sockets and blind cords, but be on the lookout for those not-so-obvious items like empty dishwashers, hanging tablecloths that can be easily pulled down, and poisonous plants. Babies at any age are curious and want to touch, feel, lick, sme

Breast pumps are a piece of baby gear that can be a real life saver not only for for moms going back to work but also for moms staying home. A good breast pump can be a big investment for some families, but thankfully under the Affordable Care Act, insurance companies must cover the cost of a breast pump. The good news is that means new moms will have access to everything from manual pumps to hospital grade double electric pumps. The hard part for many new moms is deciding which pump to choose and figuring out just how to get it into their home The first step is to reach out to your insurance company. Your provider may or may not have a certain week in your pregnancy that they will allow you

Back by popular demand, it’s Target’s car seat trade-in event! From Sept. 9 – 22, guests can bring any expired or unwanted car seats in to most Target stores (excluding small-format stores) for recycling and receive a 20 percent off coupon valid for the purchase of a new car seat, car seat base, travel system or stroller. As a bonus, for the first time select baby home gear such as playards, high chairs, swings, rockers and bouncers are included in the coupon! In honor of Baby Safety Month, Target will accept and recycle all types of car seats, including infant seats, convertible seats, car seat bases, harness or booster car seats and car seats that are expired or damaged. We offer a variety

September is Baby Safety Month, sponsored annually by the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA). This year, JPMA is helping educate parents and caregivers on the importance of properly choosing and using all the best products for your child’s age and developmental stage as outlined by the manufacturer. It's A Fact Most injuries can be prevented! Parents and caregivers play a huge role in protecting children from injuries. Choosing the right baby products for your family can be overwhelming, but safety should never be compromised. What Can You Do? Choose and use age and developmentally appropriate products. Read and follow all manufacturer’s instructions, recommendations for use

School buses are the safest way to get children to and from school, but injuries can occur if kids are not careful when getting on and off the school bus. Top Tips for Riding the Bus Walk with your kids to the bus stop and wait with them until it arrives. Make sure drivers can see the kids at your bus stop. Teach kids to stand at least three giant steps back from the curb as the bus approaches and board the bus one at a time. Teach kids to wait for the school bus to come to a complete stop before getting off and not to walk behind the bus. If your child needs to cross the street after exiting the bus, he or she should take five giant steps in front of the bus, make eye contact with the bus d

Wear a properly-fitted helmet. It is the best way to prevent head injuries and death. Learn how to properly fit a helmet for your children in seconds. Ride on the sidewalk when you can. If not, ride in the same direction as traffic as far on the righthand side as possible. Use hand signals and follow the rules of the road. Be predictable by making sure you ride in a straight line and don’t swerve between cars. Wear bright colors and use lights, especially when riding at night and in the morning. Reflectors on your clothes and bike will help you be seen. Ride with your children. Stick together until you are comfortable that your kids are ready to ride on their own.