Dear Dr. Stephanie:

I worry about my nieces and nephews getting hurt but I don't have the power to do much. I find myself always wanting to send safety articles to their parents. But what can I do to help?

I think this can be a bit of a slippery slope. You want to protect your loved ones of course but you still want them to be kids and experience all life has to offer. Here are some quick and easy tips to give to your niece’s and nephew’s parents who may seem a bit laid back when it comes to safety precautions.

For infants, the best thing to do is make sure there are no pillows or stuffed toys in the crib--keeping the crib clear can help reduce the risk of smothering and SIDS.

Once kids start moving safety can be a bit trickier and a lot of work. I think it’s a great idea to have a gate to prevent them from entering the kitchen. Stoves, ovens and instant hot water are very dangerous. Even if you turn your back for one second babies can get burned.

I also think it is great to always keep bathroom doors closed and the toilet seat down. Babies are very curious and once they are pulling to stand (around 9months) and they may want explore the toilet, which is a hazard for drowning.

A great thing to do is to crawl around and see what objects are at eye level. Are there open plugs or wires, small toys or pieces of objects that could easily be ingested? A stair gate is also a great tool to have to prevent little ones from falling.

Make sure all medicines, cleaning supplies, knives or other tools are kept far out of a child's reach, ideally in a locked cabinet. If there is a gun in the home that should definitely be in a locked cabinet and the ammunition should be kept in a separate locked container.

Still worried? Aunties could always give parents gates, or locks for ovens and drawers and plug covers as well as baby gifts- that way they will be prepared once the little one becomes more mobile.

Lastly, be sure to practice what you preach. Don’t forget to follow the same precautions in your home when your nieces and nephews come to visit.

Dr. Stephanie Llichten is a Pediatric Hospitalist at Jacobi Medical Center in Bronx, NY.