Baby Dangers: Misguided Grandparents - WAFB 9 News Baton Rouge, Louisiana News, Weather, Sports

Betty Boyko loves babysitting her grandchildren a couple days a week while their parents work. She admits times have changed since she raised her children, and so have many of the rules. "For instance they said um, the baby goes on her back, she doesn't sleep on her stomach. My children slept on their stomach," she says.

While Betty now knows that rule, an alarming number of grandparents don't. In fact, a recent survey found many aren't aware of newer safety guidelines for kids involving sleep safety, car seats and walker use. Dr. Kyran Quinlan with the American Academy of Pediatrics says it's important for grandparents to get up to speed. "There is new knowledge about what is safest for young kids and grandparents who regularly care for kids will need to learn about these things to do the best job," says Dr. Quinlan.

Also, stay up on recall lists. Sometimes, Betty admits she's a little annoyed by the changes, but knows there are benefits for the babies.  She says, "We don't want anything to happen to our grandchildren."

There are resources out there for grandparents looking for more information to keep their little ones safe. For health and safety tips, you can log onto the American Academy of Pediatrics web site healthy children.org. For important child product safety information and to learn more about recalls you can log onto kidsindanger.org.