From the obvious - sharp objects, open flame, rabid animals - to the invisible or less readily detected - environmental toxins, bacteria, germs and other microscopic troublemakers - human health hazards lurk around virtually every corner. For a largely defenseless infant, the world can be an especially dangerous place, full of potential perils both anticipated and unforeseen. As his household's knight in shining armor, one of a new dad's most important responsibilities is to protect his little one from the onslaught. It takes guile, perceptiveness, cunning, foresight and quick reactions to be able to sniff out trouble before a baby encounters it and to handle it quickly and decisively when it does arise - because, rest assured, it will.
From the indoor living space of your home to all the other indoor and outdoor environments where your child will spend time, including your yard and your automobiles, plus all the toys, baby gear, home furnishings, cleaning supplies, bowling balls, lawn darts and electrical implements the little one may come across in the course of his or her explorations during the first year of life, the goal is to ensure the baby is safe and secure without being overprotective. You want an environment that encourages healthy indoor and outdoor interaction and exploration without exposure to undue risk.
Beside the very imposing physical attributes that lurk beneath your shining suit of armor - 19-inch neck, sleeve-busting guns, body fat percentage in the high 30s - the protective arsenal to which you have access as a defender of your offspring is considerable:
- Common sense-Hear the smoke alarm, hustle to get baby, woman and you out of the home. Saving your "mature" magazine collection is secondary.
- Keen instincts-"Something tells me I shouldn't let the little one approach that snarling pit bull with the eye patch."
- Anticipation-Now that baby can crawl, time to barricade the stairwell with baby-proof gates.
- Cat-quick reflexes-Blocking a baby boy's urine stream in mid-flight requires lightning-fast reactions.
- A cool demeanor under pressure-Baby projectile-vomits in a restaurant, dad catches most of it in his mitts then calmly raises a dripping hand to signal the server for his bill.
- Healthy habits-Good hygiene (regular bathing, hand-washing, etc.) keeps bacteria and germs at bay; good nutrition and sleep habits equip baby to grow stronger and fend off illness.
- Safety tools-Smoke alarms (at least one on each level of a home), fire extinguisher(s), baby gate(s); babyproof cabinet and drawer latches, electric plug covers, etc.
Babyproofing - turning a home into a safe environment for a tiny human who eventually will grow into a highly curious and ambitious, if not initially capable, crawler, walker and climber - wasn't an especially common practice in a Cro-Magnon household where one was apt to come across animal droppings, open fires, hunting weaponry and various organisms that thrive in a dark, dank environment. Lifespans were too short and predators too close at hand back in those days to worry about such trifling threats.
Assuming most of those potential hazards are absent from the modern-day household, new dads here in the 21st century have an inherent edge over their troglodyte ancestors in the babyproofing department. In all likelihood, you will not have to account for the possibility of a hungry saber-toothed tiger crashing into your cave. The safety measures you take when your caveling is still an immobile mini-manatee will go a long way toward protecting the little one from harm - and you from charges of reckless endangerment.
However, even with all the protective weaponry at your disposable, do not expect to be infallible as a protector. There will be chinks in your armor. Your child will occasionally contract an illness, sustain bumps and bruises, ingest non-food items and otherwise endanger his or her physical well-being through various means, some so absurd and farfetched you could never have anticipated them. For the most part, these incidents are like a ding on a new car; they will happen, they make you cringe when they do, but they usually don't cause any real damage.
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