Healthy Kids, a community-based family support network and the designated member of Maine’s Prevention Council serving Lincoln, Knox, and Waldo counties, has launched its 2026 Baby Safety Month campaign.

This September, the initiative directly addresses three common household practices that lead to unintentional infant and toddler injuries, offers local parents resources to create safer home environments and encourages everyone in the community to move away from the "convenience culture" of parenting by educating families to avoid common safety shortcuts.

“At Healthy Kids, child safety is at the very heart of everything we do,” said Char Corbett, executive director. “Supporting infant safety is a natural extension of our mission to guide and uplift families with safe practices at every stage of a child’s development.” Corbett continued, “As parents, we all experience those incredibly long, exhausting days, and it is completely natural to look for a quick shortcut to save a little time. Whether it's using a nearby piece of furniture as a quick barrier instead of installing a certified safety gate or trying out a trending social media parenting 'hack,' these small choices for convenience can unexpectedly create real risks. This September, during Baby Safety Month, we want to surround our Midcoast families with the support and resources they need to make the safest choices the easiest choices for their little ones.” 

In addition to addressing daily habits, the Healthy Kids campaign focuses on three vital pillars of home protection and infant/child safety:

• "Before You Try, Verify": Promoting the national Baby Safety Alliance's newest campaign, Healthy Kids is encouraging families to verify the safety of both secondhand and new baby gear. Identifying the official Baby Safety Alliance Verified Seal on products, checking current federal recall lists, and downloading free home safety checklists directly from babysafetyalliance.org are several steps Healthy Kids suggests.

• Preventing Tip-Overs and Household Poisoning: Parents can receive a step-by-step household checklist for room and furniture safety. The campaign also highlights securing common household toxins—like liquid laundry detergent packets, medications, and cleaners—far out of a crawling child's reach, while keeping emergency numbers like 911 and the Northern New England Poison Control Center line (1-800-222-1222) easily visible on the refrigerator.

• Infant Car Seat and Child Passenger Safety: Motor vehicle crashes are the number one cause of unintentional deaths of children under 16 years of age in the US and upwards of 3 out of every 4 children in child restraints are not properly secured.  Ensuring seats are properly installed, rear-facing when appropriate and properly matched to a child’s age, weight and height is the best way to protect your child in a vehicle. Healthy Kids recommends following the Maine Bureau of Highway Safety for federal and state guidelines, free car seat inspection locations and/or to have seats properly installed https://maine.gov/dps/bhs. The Maine Bureau of Safety will be offering free safety carseat inspections at Healthy Kids’ Midcoast Community Baby Shower, hosted September 19 from 10am-1pm at the Academy Building, 60 Main Street, Thomaston.

To support area families directly, Healthy Kids offers free, confidential parenting education in-person, by phone, or via Zoom. Free safety checklists and local resource guides are available on their website and at their main office at 15 Belvedere Road in Damariscotta, where parents can drop in or request one-on-one coaching with a parent educator. For more information regarding local morning playgroups, upcoming parenting workshops, or to request a free Baby Safety checklist packet, please visit www.healthykidsmaine.org or call (207) 563-1818.

Founded in 1985, Healthy Kids A Family Resource Network is a community-based non-profit network providing parenting education, one-on-one parent coaching support and professional outreach across Lincoln, Knox and Waldo counties.