Have a new baby? Here’s some advice on keeping your baby safe from the book “How to Survive Your Baby’s First Year” (Hundreds of Heads Books, www.hundredsofheads.com, $12.95), straight from people who’ve done it:

“Our 14-month-old daughter is a little ball of energy. Once, we were walking out of a Vietnamese restaurant and she went dashing out the door, nearly into traffic. As much as you hear people say it, it holds so true: You have to watch your children at all times. You never know when your child will dart off and find a bottle of Crystal Drano.

– Kerry Rome, Hermosa Beach, Calif., mother of a 14-month-old daughter

“A very helpful phrase to teach small kids is “come here.’ This works great if you need to distract your kids to stop them from fighting. It can also be a lifesaver if they’re doing something dangerous. It’s a very positive intervention. Rather than yelling at them, you’re simply telling them to “come here.”‘

– Tori Dennis, Iron City, Tenn., mother of three daughters, ages 8, 6 and 5

“Keep the toll-free poison emergency hotline number (1-800-222-1222) near the phone and call immediately if you suspect your child has been in contact with a poison. Even in a “baby-proofed’ home, bad things can happen, and parents should have no fear of being judged for ‘allowing’ their child to touch/taste/breathe a poison. Calls to a poison center are handled by nurses, pharmacists and doctors and are completely confidential.”

– Chris Falk, Chevy Chase, Md., father of two sons, ages 4 and 1 1/2

“Avoid permanent markers like the plague. When my daughter was around 2, we had just had the house painted and she saw the electrical outlet in the wall, which had no plastic plugs. She saw the two little vertical lines with the little hole and thought it looked like a bunny rabbit’s face. With a permanent marker, she drew the ears of the bunny to go with it. It wasn’t dangerous, but it was maddening and hilarious.”

– Naomi Nemtzow, Brooklyn, N.Y., mother of a 22-year-old daughter and 15-year-old twin daughters

“Before the children can crawl, remove all CDs from the premises. Every single one of them is a meal waiting to be eaten, as well as a little book (you know, the liner notes) waiting to be ripped or chewed to shreds. I’m not saying I have to replace my entire CD collection. Just about a third of it.”

– David E. Liss, Pennington, N.J., father of a 4-year-old son and 1-year-old daughter