Preparing for the arrival of a new baby is an exciting time, but it can be difficult to know what safety features to look for when choosing baby products and, importantly, how to use them safely.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has launched Your First Steps, a new website parents and carers can use to get the latest, most reliable information on baby product safety in the first six months of a child’s life.
“Young children, babies in particular, are among our most vulnerable members of the community and Your First Steps is a key part of our mission to help ensure their safety,” says ACCC Deputy Chair, Delia Rickard.
How Your First Steps can help
Your First Steps includes information on the steps that parents and carers can take to keep their baby safe, whether they are sleeping or soothing, bathing or changing, playing or out and about and on the move.
Cots, car seats, dummies, toys and bath aids are among the key categories covered by Your First Steps.
“Many everyday products can harm a baby through entrapment, falls, choking, suffocation and strangulation. This can be caused by unsafe product design or inappropriate use. It can also happen when parents or carers unwittingly use the products in an unsafe way. If you come across an unsafe product, tell the supplier and report it to the ACCC,” Ms Rickard says.
“Boring is best when it comes to soothing and sleeping babies. Only ever place infants to sleep on a flat, firm surface and avoid decorations or any soft objects in or around the cot.”