Greene County Public Health has a program that helps new parents to keep their newborn protected as September is National Baby Safety Month.

Sara Miller is a social worker and the coordinator for Healthy Opportunities for Parents Experiencing Success (HOPES) and she says it is an in-home program where they go through a safety checklist that is based on the age group they are visiting. She points out some of the items on the checklist include the correct height for the baby’s crib, looking for choking hazards in the home, along with other household problems like pets. She talks about the common areas that parents should focus on baby-proofing when their child starts to become mobile.

“So really any space that a child might be on the floor such as the living room or bedroom, but also places such as the kitchen or bathroom where they can get into cupboards and access dangerous items or chemicals.”

Miller adds that the safety of the child is the biggest factor that is used in their HOPES program. Contact Greene County Public Health at 515-386-3228 to learn more about this free program.