The winter season is a great time for every one in the family to have fun—well, almost every one in the family. While older kids will feel most at home out in the snow and the cold, parents have to be extra careful when bringing their baby or toddler child out of the house during the winter season, lest he catches things like colds. But when it’s too cold to play or even go outside, you better make sure that the indoors are really safe for your child.

A word on fireplaces

Gathering around the hearth is one of the coziest things you can do during the winter season. But if you have babies or small children at home, you might as well be fishing for disaster if you don’t take the necessary precautions. For starters, you should never leave your child alone especially when fire is roaring in your fireplace. If you are using a gas-powered fireplace, make sure that your system needs a key to turn the gas on or off to make it safe for kids. In addition, be sure to secure the grate around your fireplace with hooks or screws. For added safety, you should also have your fireplace regularly cleaned to prevent dangerous chimney fire.

Carbon monoxide kills

Perhaps you’ve heard about the substance that harms people right in their homes without them knowing about it. Carbon monoxide is its name and it can accumulate indoors if windows and doors are kept tightly sealed for a long time, especially when you are using defective appliances and heating or cooling systems. Carbon monoxide poisoning can be a danger to your family especially during the winter season when you keep your home’s apertures tightly sealed to prevent the cold from coming in.

To avoid the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, you should make sure that your house receives proper ventilation from time to time, even during winter. You might also want to install a carbon monoxide detector which you can place in your own bedroom, in your living areas, in your child’s room and play areas or ideally one on each floor of your house. Home and environmental inspectors could also help you test your home for other potentially dangerous substances like radon and volatile organic compounds. Moreover, you can prevent other harmful chemicals from accumulating in your home by using only safe and natural household solutions like those from BabyGanics, which leave no toxic residue behind.

Prevent SIDS

The risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) increases during the winter season because parents tend to overheat their babies. To prevent this make sure to never raise your child’s room temperature to more than 72 degrees Fahrenheit. In addition to this, never overcrowd your child’s crib with soft items like pillows, stuffed animals and blankets. These things can suffocate your child. A great alternative to blankets are sleeping sacks, which your child can wear from his neck down and without the risk of covering his nose and mouth.

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