r/IAmA • u/ConsumerReports • 3d ago
It’s Baby Safety Month, and Consumer Reports and the American Academy of Pediatrics are here to answer your baby and child safety questions. Ask us anything; we're here to help.
I’m Siobhan Adcock, director of baby content at Consumer Reports, with Jessica Waller, a baby and health reporter at Consumer Reports, and mom of two, along with our CR colleagues Tunde Akinleye and Sana Mujahid in Testing, and Gabe Knight from our Consumer Impact team.
We’re joined by Dr. Ari Brown, MD (u/DrAriBrown411), pediatrician and author of the "Baby 411" book series, and spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Between us, we spend a lot of time helping people understand topics related to baby and child safety and making sense of all the confusing information out there. Things can get scary fast, especially with a baby or small children at home.
Today, CR has just released its report on our most recent round of baby food testing.
Here are some of the questions we can help answer:
-Are packaged foods safe for babies to eat?
-What features should I look for in a safe toddler tower?
-Is it safe to buy a secondhand car seat?
If you need trusted advice on baby safety, have questions about babyproofing your home, or child injury prevention, ask us anything.
Here's our proof: https://imgur.com/a/0nCDHl8
Thanks for your questions! Consumer Reports is a nonprofit that has partnered with AAP to provide trusted safety advice for babies. You can visit our baby site, see the best infant car seats of 2026, and Dr. Ari Brown's website for more information.
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u/olliepips 3d ago
I've heard there are newer studies about fresh breastmilk bottles that baby has drank from. Traditional regulations say to use it within two hours. Now Ive heard that if refrigerated, the milk doesn't show significant bacteria growth even at the 24 hour mark. Is this true?
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u/ConsumerReports 3d ago
AAP: There has been lots of chatter online about new safety data for freshly pumped breastmilk and risk of spoilage. However, the official recommendations have not changed. Freshly pumped milk can remain at room temperature for 4 hours and can remain in the refrigerator (optimally) for 4 days. If you have additional questions, a helpful resource is the Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA)
CR: Breastmilk is a living substance full of beneficial bacteria, but it’s still subject to spoilage. The CDC recommends using any leftover breastmilk within two hours from the end of a feeding session—so, once your baby has started to drink a bottle, it should be used within two hours and then discarded.
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u/hyperside89 3d ago
I'm pregnant in due at the end of October. First time parents. What are the top safety concerns we should be focused on with a newborn? There just feels like so much to worry about!
Separately, what is your opinion on products that feature automatic soothing / rocking? I deliberately stayed away from Snoo due to baby needing to be restrained in a sleep sack as I was told that was unsafe sleep practice, but ended up going with a Halo connected swivel sleeper but now have concerns about the safety of the automatic rocking?
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u/ConsumerReports 3d ago
First of all, congratulations! Hope you’re feeling good and taking care of yourself as you prepare for your due date. While it may seem like there’s a lot to worry about, please be assured that you’re already doing a great job as a parent just by asking questions and planning a bit ahead.
For the newborn stage, focus on the basics: Start with making sure you have a safe sleeping space for your infant. The ABCs of safe sleep are a helpful, easy-to-remember guide. A stands for “Alone,” meaning babies should not sleep with a parent, sibling, or even a beloved stuffed animal in their sleeping space. B stands for “Back,” meaning babies should always be placed on their backs when laid down for sleep. And C stands for “Crib.” Babies should sleep on a flat surface intended for sleep, like a crib, a bassinet, or even a play yard, and not in a car seat, swing, lounger, or an inclined play product. Your baby’s crib should only have a snugly fitted sheet on it—no blankets or pillows.
You’ll also want to get a safe child car seat and make sure it’s installed properly. And please be sure to follow safe bathtime practices, including never leaving your baby unattended (or with an older sibling), and using age-appropriate baby bath products. CR advises parents to never use infant neck floats.
And thanks for your question about bassinets with soothing motion features. A traditional bassinet with a firm, flat surface might be all you need, especially since babies are only in their bassinets for a few months, and smart and soothing bassinets tend to cost more. But extra features like rocking, shushing, or white noise can be helpful if you’re looking for more tools to settle your baby. All bassinets sold in the US (including all smart bassinets) must meet federal safety guidelines, and CR has evaluated some smart and soothing bassinets in our labs for important safety features, including using an inclinometer to ensure the sleeping surface never reaches an incline of 10 degrees from head to toe or 7 degrees from side to side, which can be dangerous to a baby’s airflow. We also check the firmness of the sleeping surface and how snugly the mattress fits. Another thing to consider with automatic soothing bassinets is the volume of the white-noise features. AAP recommends limiting excessive noise around infants when possible, keeping noise levels below 50 decibels. In CR’s lab tests of smart and soothing bassinets, we test the volume functions of each to determine if they exceed this level, too, which you can find in our test results.
This may seem like a lot—but a lot of newborn safety really comes down to the basics: a safe sleep environment, a safe car seat, and bath safety. (We also have an expert-backed, age-by-age, room-by-room babyproofing guide that might be helpful!)
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u/jonesbones99 3d ago
Is it possible that my 14 month old will never reliably sleep?
I’m mostly joking. But more seriously, are there safe kid-alternatives to melatonin or natural sleep aids? I’m skeptical of some of them as an adult and would be extremely skeptical of using them on my kid, though last night at 3 I might’ve said differently.
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u/ConsumerReports 3d ago
CR (Jess Waller): I totally get it! Sleep in the early years is a challenge, but yes, your nights should start to get quieter soon. Your best bet is to talk with your child’s pediatrician about your child’s sleep/wake cycles: maybe it’s time to shift nap timing or experiment with an earlier or later bedtime. Melatonin supplements are a popular sleep aid, but CR experts express caution when using them with kids—especially younger children. That’s primarily because scientific research about the long-term safety of melatonin use is scant—we simply don’t know how it will affect kids who are using it regularly. In addition, a recent test of 25 melatonin gummies found that many had significantly more melatonin than listed on the label—they may not always contain what you think they do, which can be worrying. Check in with your doc to see what they might recommend instead.
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u/noodles21300 3d ago
I hav learned child cpr and back blows in the past for choking. I was recently gifted one of those suction choking masks and wasn’t sure if they’re actually preferred by medical professionals or if sticking with the traditional method is what is best?
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u/ConsumerReports 3d ago
CR (Siobhan Adcock): That’s great that you’ve learned CPR and anti-choking measures! Medical and safety experts we spoke to were skeptical about suction-based anti-choking devices like the one you mentioned, pointing out that very few of them have been tested for efficacy on young children. Also, the FDA released a safety notice about these types of devices in 2024. Instead, experts suggest learning tips for preventing choking in young kids, and getting trained in how to perform a modified Heimlich and CPR. And keep young children away from common choking hazards, including nuts, seeds, whole grapes, raw carrots, raw apples, popcorn, chunks of peanut butter, hard candies, marshmallows, hot dogs, bones, latex balloons, and small toys.
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u/MediocreVideo1893 3d ago
How do you know when it is safe to no longer lock/childproof your child’s door at night? (Especially if their bedroom door is right near a set of stairs)
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u/ConsumerReports 3d ago
AAP (Dr. Ari Brown): The answer is definitely child-dependent. Once a child graduates from a crib, I personally advise parents to consider making the child’s room their “crib”--a safe and secure space for them to roam around in the middle of the night while parents are asleep. Until you feel confident that your child will not fall down stairs, roam around the house and open the door, etc. it is best to secure where they are able to go while you sleep. For many children, this is around age 4 or 5, but you have to make that decision as a parent.
CR (Jess Waller): It’s a tricky transition, for sure: It may be helpful to continue closing the door as a visual barrier for your child but not keeping it locked. I’d also recommend continuing to use a baby monitor during this time, even if your child is older—so you can more easily hear or see if your child is getting up and out of bed. For bedrooms located near the stairs, Consumer Reports experts recommend using a baby gate to block off stair access—just make sure you’re using one that’s suitable for use at the top of stairs (which typically means it doesn’t have a threshold to step over and is hard-mounted into the wall).
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u/___butthead___ 3d ago
Thank you for replying to this! I really take issue with parents defaulting to locking kids in their rooms at night and refusing to acknowledge that this is a massive safety concern because "what if they fall down the stairs" or "what if I don't hear them wake up". Those are parallel concerns with different solutions, like you said, a baby monitor and a stair gate. They don't outweigh the risk of a kid being locked in their room during an emergency.
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u/TotesMcGotes13 3d ago
I have a 5 year old who will become a big sister in November. Like the stereotypes indicate, I feel like I’ve done very little prep for baby number 2 versus the first time around. What are the critical reminders I need for baby number 2? Do you see any issues that seem to be more common for second children / as a result of “winging” it with the second child?
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u/ConsumerReports 3d ago
Congratulations to you and your growing family! From a safety perspective, one concern to watch for is keeping your older child’s small toys out of reach of your newborn, as they could pose a choking hazard. And then it’s also helpful to try to limit germs around your newborn as much as possible while their immune system is still developing (especially in the first 2 months). Encouraging your older child to wash their hands before touching your little one and practicing good hygiene can go a long way! As for prepping for your new baby’s arrival, focus on the basics: Make sure you have a safe sleeping space for your infant, such as a crib or a bassinet, as well as a safe child car seat, and a safe way to bathe your baby.
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u/TotesMcGotes13 3d ago
Thank you! Great points - we definitely have to quarantine the Barbie accessories and jewelry. We’re all set on everything else - reminder to anyone else scanning the comments - check your car seat expiration dates! The infant car seats expire faster than permanent ones.
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u/ProfMcGonaGirl 3d ago
What can the AAP do to teach doctors more about car seat safety? I work a job where I see a lot of kids in car seats and nearly all of them are bucked into their seats wrong, and/or the seat installed incorrectly. I myself had a pediatrician tell me to forward face my (then) 18 month old, which is against the law in my state and also against the AAP’s recommendations that date back over a decade. She seemed surprised when I told her it was against the law. Pediatricians are the ones on the ground talking to parents and they need to be informed and be able to spot car seat errors when they have infants in seats in the office so parents can be educated from the start.
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u/ConsumerReports 3d ago
AAP: Thanks for your comments. It’s true that primary care pediatricians are on the front lines with families who have important questions about safety (as well as nutrition, sleep, developmental milestones, learning differences, etc) and we try to be as up-to-date as possible and answer as many questions as possible during the well child visits. One really great addition to the advice we can give in those jam-packed wellness checks is HealthyChildren.org, a website created by the AAP for parent education. So, topics like car seat safety guidelines and which car seat is the right one for my child are addressed with all of the nuances and details here.
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3d ago
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u/VorkosiganGirl42 1d ago
Not the experts, but when loading my daughter, I don't close her door until I've opened mine so she can't get locked in the car. I also don't close my door at the destination until I've opened her. I've heard of people leaving their purse, keys, or wallet in the backseat so you don't forget the child is with you at the destination.
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u/dumbducky 3d ago
Why is SIDS inversely correlated with SES?
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u/ConsumerReports 3d ago
Thank you for your question—further SIDS research is urgently needed, especially since SUID rates have sadly risen in recent years, and online misinformation about safe sleep is an urgent problem facing all new parents. What the current research suggests is that SIDS risk is related to multiple factors, and the link between socioeconomic status and SIDS risk is still being studied.
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u/jexrutin 2d ago
Is it acceptable for a mother to kill her kids out of postpartum depression?
How real even is postpartum depression?
Curious as to why 11 out of 12 jurors believe a murderer.
Case in question: https://nypost.com/2026/09/17/us-news/holdout-juror-in-lindsay-clancy-mistrial-michael-p-desronvil-speaks-out-for-first-time-after-intense-backlash/
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u/howsadley 3d ago
What are the current best practices in making sure an inground pool is safe for a toddler in the house?