Choking, Suffocation, or Strangulation

You can use an empty toilet paper roll to test for choking hazards in your home — if an item is small enough to pass through it, it's a choking hazard. If your baby uses a soother, make sure it's one piece with a shield to prevent him from sucking the nipple too far into his mouth, and discard any soother that shows signs of wear or is more than 2 months old.

In your baby's crib

• Keep soft materials out of the crib — quilts, comforters, bumper pads, pillows and stuffed animals shouldn't be in there, and keep the crib away from window blinds or cords.
• Remove the crib mobile once your baby is 4 months old, or once he starts pushing himself up on his hands and knees.

When awake and at play

• Vacuum often, and never leave small objects within your baby's reach — he will put anything and everything in his mouth.
• Don't keep toys with pull strings longer than 20 cm (8 inches), or toys with small, loose or breakable parts that could be swallowed or inhaled.
• Don't use bibs with ties.
• Don't hang pacifiers, a necklace or anything else around your baby's neck — use a clip with a short ribbon attached to the soother instead.
• Don't use amber teething necklaces — your baby can choke on the beads or be strangled by the necklace; use a teething ring instead.
• Keep all plastic bags out of reach and out of sight.
• Latex balloons are a choking hazard and shouldn't be used.
• Avoid clothing with drawstrings at the neck or waist — for winter, use a neck warmer instead of a scarf, and mitten clips instead of strings.

Keep magnets, especially small toy magnets that could be swallowed, away from your baby — they're extremely dangerous. If your baby swallows two or more magnets, they can attract to one another even through the intestinal walls and become trapped in the body, causing serious injury. Jewellery magnets should also be kept out of reach.