Karo Syrup in Every Bottle???

I was told by a pediatrician that there has been cases of botulism with karo syrup. Karo is for cooking and should not be given to babies raw. My daughter had trouble with her bowels and we gave her apple prune juice which helped. If it is very bad then I would suggest glycerian suposatory (forgive my spelling).

I have 4 kids, 24 to 14 and they all had DARK Karo in their bottles. Today they have no problems. and NO cavaties. They had a teasp in every bottle. Especially my 16 year old, he was very heavily constipated when a year old, and lots of Dark Karo, and perfectly healthy today. and he don't like sweets.

YEP .. it helps..
I did this after the recommendation of a pediatric gastroenterolgy specialist. So the Karo works to get the bottle down and decrease constipation. Rice cereal however WILL constipate a baby. So if the baby is at least 4 months old with pediatricians recommendation and preferably 6 months of age I suggest adding Oatmeal Cereal or Barley Cereal as these help with digestion and decrease constipation. The oatmeal is easier to find as it is always at walmart right next to the infant rice cereal. This was also recommended by the specialist and it worked quite well. Then I gradually decreased the Karo to prevent tooth problems. Oh and my sleep improved some. Best of Luck.

The Karo does work as a diuretic for the baby, but just as in adults, if you use a diuretic for a long period of time, you eventually stop being able to have a bowel movement on your own. What she is doing is not a good thing, it will cause more harm than good. I have 4 children of my own, 2 of them have experienced issues with constipation as well as myself and the medication the doctors have prescribed have always given a warning about taking anything like that for any extended period of time. Maybe you could just suggest that she talk to the babies Pediatrician to be sure that she should be doing it, you could say you read an article on the web that warned against it or something, that way she won't think you are doubting her Mothering Skills. Hope this helps!

When my daughter was only 2 1/2 months old she was having problems pooping. My mom, who is a retired nurse, sugessted the Karo to me. I ofcoarse thought she was crazy and called the pediatrician, who said it works. I had my daughter on it for about a week, until her BM were bach normal.
Personally I would not keep my child on it for a long period of time, just enough to get them "going" :-)
Good luck!

You are so right to go with your gut and ask about this one! Why would you add so much unnecessary sugar (in the form of high calorie corn syryp!?!) to every bottle. If the baby has problem with constipation try benefiber or milk of magnesia... Also - she will probably be much better behaved and less cranky without all that sugar in her system. Hope this helps - L.

It is actually now recommended NOT to give infants Karo syrup or honey due to a risk of infant botulism which can be very serious for babies.

Hi V.,

I had never heard of this until I starting reading your responses here and I was horrified... but, I guess it is done; I think it is important to remember that it is corn syrup, nonetheless, which I believe is pretty fattening... I think an alternative method might be healthier, maybe the stool softener others mentioned... (I always thought it was Cod Liver Oil you gave kids for constipation...) Also, I understand your frustration that you are a step-parent and your advice may not be well-received... good luck, it's a tough call.

Hi V.,

I'm not trying to sound insensitive by this. I have a lot of pets and am a grandma and have several years of experience. Karo Syrup helps the milk to digest and when you have a puppy or kitten and you give it milk, when the mother will not feed, you add karo syrup, about a tsp at each feeding. It helps them not be constipated and they can pass their stool.

Now, for your baby. Today's formulas usually are fine. I would give the baby regular formula and only add the karo, if she gets constipated. Even then, I would use it only when she is constipated.

Hope this helps,
K.

Karo syrup is like honey it can have botulism in it. A baby can not process this like an adult can so it could make the baby sick if the bottle has it.
I use miralax 1/2 strength for constipation you may want to ask the peds md about this first.
Also, pear juice mixed with water (1/2&1/2) helps with this problem as well.

Babies were fed on a combination of condensed milk and karo syrup for many years (20's, 30's, 40's, 50's and part of the 60's) This was back when they distrusted mother nature to provide everything a child needs. It's not very good for the baby but millions of babies were fed on it including my mom, aunts and 1 sister. They are all doing fine. My Mom is 70 now.

What you could do is somehow get a hold of a "free sample" and/or soem coupons for loctose free enfamil (my daughter is on this and does great) and see if she'll give it a wirl. ;)

Not in every bottle. She's way too young for all that sugar. I know where she is coming from though. My daughter had poopy problems for the first year of her life because we couldn't find anything that helped, not even the kayro syrup added to the bottle. Her doctor finally put her on Glycolax, a prescription laxitive/stool softener for children. It was a powder that you mixed with their drink. It's flavorless and mixes in really easily. Worked great.

Yes, we put Karo in my sons bottles when he was little. He is now 2. However, we didn't put it in every bottle, maybe one at night and one in the morning, unless he was really having trouble. You can also use apple juice weakened down with water. We also had put cereal in his bottle at night with it to help him sleep better. Hope this helps!!

V.,

I also used Karo syrup in my babies bottles.I used it for a few months like 6.Formula and whole milk are hard on babies systems the syrup helps in digestion and prevents constipation.Your step daughter is doing the right thing.I was taught by my grandmother about it and asked my doctor and she agreed.I am not sure the relationship you two have but I know when I am given advice my someone who has never had children it irritates me.You might ask her how long the doctor thinks she will have to continue doing this that way you know and don't offend her.I know step-kids can be hard.Hope this helps...H.

My baby is 15 months old and I pretty much tried to stick to what the nutritionists and doctors would tell me when it came to feeding her. For the first 4-5 months babies shouldn't get any supplements, breastmilk or formula are more than enough and if there is a problem with bowel movements, she should check with her pediatrician instead of trying home remedies. Granted, a lot of the old remedies work, but a lot of them also don't and do more harm than good. Now, I can't specifically tell you whether or not the Karo will do damage and if so, what kind, my gut just tells me it's not a good idea.

Sorry I can't help more, but try and accompany her to the next appointment at her pediatricians and ask the doctor (best without concrete references, more a question like "what should/shouldn't we put in the bottle when feeding the baby?" so your stepdaughter won't feel invaded) and the doctor will set the records straight. Also try and find brochures on infant nutrition (library or doc's office) and casually nudge her to read up on them ;)

I would lay off the Karo syrup and try some prune juice instead. I am the mother of 4 daughters and the older women in my family would always tell me the Karo "theory" but my pediatrician recommeded a little prune juice instead. You can buy it with the Gerber baby juices and dillute it a bit with water.

The karo syrup does work. I would put it in every other bottle. That is what my ped told me to do until the problem with constipation got better.

You are not wrong about this. Karo should not be put in every bottle. I have a 2 year old and I put Karo in just a few of her bottles if her BM's were hard for her to do. I would find a way to mention it...try going to the doctor with her and mentioning something about it to the doctor, they may have something to say about it.

I don't know about in every bottle. I have a four year old and an eight month old. I was always told by my kids doctor that the best thing for kids when they are backed up is kayro syrup. But is was only one teaspoon in the bottle only when they need it. If you give it to them in every bottle I would think that they wouldn't have any substance in their bowel movements and when they did have a regular bowel movement that it might hurt them a bit, because they are not used to making a regular bowel movement. But that is just what I have been told and just what I think.

Well, formula already has corn syrup in it. To add it to every bottle does seem a bit extreme, and that's alot of sucrose a day. My son was having a little trouble with formula-we tried it all until we found one that didn't constipate him or give him diarrhea. He's on the Gentlease now. I've started feeding him cereal and the first foods now, and when his poops gets thick and I see he's straining, I give him apple juice or white grape juice (always 100% juice) mixed in his bottle. I give him 7 oz water 10 1 oz of juice a couple times a day until he's good again. This has worked fine, and the fructose in the juice is much better for him than the sucrose in Karo.

I would only do it once a day ~ and only if the baby is having problems with her bowels. Check with the babies doctor to be 100% sure.

Our pediatrician told us to use Gerber prune/apple juice between milk bottles and it did the trick... and my son actually likes it!

It's my understanding that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends NOT giving children under 1 yr of ago corn syrup (which is what karo syrup is) or honey due to the risk of getting infant botulism which can be fatal. I would recommend that she confirm with her pediatrician that this is OK - it may be that they've said it is, but I personally would be very unsure about doing something like that without the express endorsement of my pediatrician.

I looked up Karo Syrup and as I thought, it is corn syrup. Despite what anyone says corn syrup is, it is not good for especially a infant or baby, let alone adults. Please do the research because it is a bad product. I know my husbands Mother gave her children corn syrup with milk in a bottle and they all have some health problem. Doctors know little about nutrition, except for the smart ones that realize nutrition is vital to health. Haven't you heard the latest about corn syrup and noticed how many people are avoiding foods with corn syrup as an ingrediant? When you find out what it does to the body you could very well join the many health conscience people that are careful about what they and their children eat.

I have a 9 month old son and from time to time i would put dark karo in his bottle if he had't had a bowel movement in 24 hours. I would not suggest she put it in every bottle. It would cause rapid weight gain and then she would have a whole other set of problems on her hands. Now i have heard of some mothers putting it in every bottle due to the child not gaining weight but under a Dr.'s care. As far as putting ceral in her bottle to help her sleep i am a firm believer of ceral, but maybe not in the bottle. maybe try spoon feeding it to her. if you try that then giving her maybe a little cerall in the bottle, i would make it so thick that she would have to suck hard, i did that with my son at age 4 months and have just been told that that may be the reason we are having ear infections now because he had to suck so hard to get the milk out of the bottle. If you do spoon feed her her natural reaction at that age is to thrust her everything out of her mouth just keep working with the baby and the older she gets the better she will be at spoon feeding.

My pediatrician actually advised me to do this with my oldest daughter when she was having constipation problems. I didn't put the syrup in every bottle but at least one bottle a day I would put the Karo syrup in it and it did help with the bowel issues my daughter was having.

When my son (now 8) was a baby he had a horrible time with consitpation. We did the Lacto free formula, We did Karo syrup in Every bottle (per his Dr.). That still didn't help much but I could tell when it hadn't been added. His Dr. also told me to use Pear Juice - she actually told me not to do the Prunes or Prune Juice.
He is now 8 and still has irregular BM's. I just keep a close eye on him.

You should NEVER give a baby Karo syrup!!! It could make the baby very sick!!

I know that when my son was an infant and he would get constipated our pediatrician told us to add clear Karo syrup in his bottle. But it wasn't more than 2 bottles at a time. We only did it a few times.

Hi V.

My 2nd child was bottle fed and was constipated the first 6 weeks of life. I was told to use Karo syrup...that did not work for my son. It turned out that the regular milk based formula was making him constipated. I changed him to the Nutramigen as recommended by my DR and within 24 hours he was a different baby! no more constipation. Some babies cannot handle the regual milk based formulas.
I hate the thought of Karo syrup going in every single bottle just to keep them pooping...if they aren't pooping then it says that their body cannot handle that particular formula...there are a ton of different forumlas to try now a days.
Good Luck.

My 1st question to her would be to know if the baby was having issues with constipation. Some doctors recommend Karo syrup in bottles for that reason. However, they also suggest you speak to a pediatrician first. Here is a link I found: http://www.drgreene.org/body.cfm?id=21&action=detail&...

IMHO, and being a mom of 5, she shouldn't be having to do it with every bottle. If he's having constipation issues, adding more water to his day would do a great deal. But she really needs to talk to a doctor if he's having problems in that area, it could be a food intolerance issue. I assume he's on some sort of foods by now, not just bottles.

You did marry into a little amusement park didn't you? Bless your heart. I pray that the transition of having a grown daughter & baby in your home goes smoothly.

Yes she is right about the syrup. My ped dr recommened it as a natural way to help the child who has bowl problems. I only used it a couple times, cant remember how many days. In the end we had to use child suppositories. I would ask her how long the pediatrician recommened using the syrup.

Also tire medmd.com or something like that and it will give you some info on using syrup for constipation.

Best of luck and keep in mind that this is a natural way of helping the body function and its also nice to have that instead of over the counter drugs.

We also used karo for my daughter. I used it in every other bottle. We tried switching her formula but nothing worked. The karo helped her a lot. She is 4 now and is still on Miralax every day. She has severe chronic constipation. My pediatrician is who told us to use karo. It won't hurt your grand baby at all however, I don't think I would use it in every bottle. I always used it as needed but never more than every other bottle.

My son was 2 weeks old when his dr told me to put karo syrup in every bottle because i was haveing to put rice ceral in every bottle so thats why i had to put it in his to make him go to the bathroom normal so yea thats what the dr will tell ya to do good luck

I have been told to put it in a bottle to make her go to the bathroom. I am not sure if that works or not. I know that when you cook with that it makes whatever you are cooking smooth and not grainy. Don't know if it works for poop or not.
You can mention to her about Mirilax. It isn't laxative. It is a stool softener. My pediatrician told me to give it to my baby who is 17 months old now in order to make her soft so she won't hold it, making it hard and hard to go. My dr said that it wasn't harmful and I could give it to her in every bottle every day if I wanted or needed. You could suggest that to her.

Yes its fine I used it for all my babies, but what happens is they get used to the sweetness and then start to refuse the bottle with out it. All my kids are healthy and fine. Oldest is 37, youngest is 24. Its a choice each individual chooses to do. I chose to put a few drops in every bottle so they would eat well. I did switch to the clear Karo and cut back on the amount, but as I said I have 7 healthy children.

unless a dr. told her to do so, she shouldn't need to do it every time. gerber makes apple/prune juice, you might suggest she dilute it with some water and give in the case of constipation. whatever is causing the constipation needs to be fixed..maybe she's just not used to the formula yet and her body should adjust or i'd seek advice from a dr.

We alternated with Karo and prune juice. Then we stuck to the prune juice in every bottle until she stopped using a bottle. Once she was potty trained (2-1/2) the bowel movements became easy.

V.,
My youngest child has had problems with bowel movements since he was born, he is now almost 7 and we still have trouble with it! The Karo syrup will help, and it is less invasive on the baby's tummy than most of the meds the dr. will prescribe! As far as adding cereal to the bottle, avoid rice if at all possible, as it will increase the amount of air in the baby's tummy and make constipation worse! Oatmeal is the best to add to a bottle, and on a good note, they stay full longer as the oatmeal will swell in the belly! Also another thing that helps to on a natural stance for constipation is bananas and gingerbread! A major plus with those......most kids love their 'nanas, and the gingerbread men are always a treat! I still give my son either a gingerbread man or a banana a day and that has helped him more than any meds the dr. gave him........a believe me we went through quite a few different ones!! Best of luck to you!!

J.

Karo syrup baby,
I have two children and I used Karo syrup in their bottles. The formula was so rich that it caused gas and really hard bowel movements (almost like rabbit poo). When I used the Karo Syrup it helped regulate them and help with belly aches. I understand your concerns, but it is a natural alternative method versus the harsh chemicals that could be incorporated. I also spoke with my doctor regarding the Karo Syrup and he advised me that if it worked for the child then use it. He did not find anything wrong with using the syrup. I hope this helps!

I think I would possibly question her about it. Could be she started the karo and found without it the child wouldn't take formula and she just continued. Could be the formula itself making child constipated. I know mine got constipated when he was Enfamil with iron. I had to change formulas to get him straightened out.

My daughter's pediatrician recommended the same thing for my daughter (1 tbsp. unless that didn't work and I needed more, but it usually worked). It kept her regular, but eventually she got what looked like a cavity on her front tooth. When I mentioned my concern he prescribed something else to put in her bottles. I can't remember the exact name right now, but it starts w/an L. She just turned 2 and still has problems w/bowel movements. I thought it was because she was on formula, but she has been drinking regular milk for about 4-5 months and still has issues. She was 10 weeks early, but they assure me that has nothing to do with it.

Prune juice worked for us although sometimes the baby may not like the taste at first.

As far as adding cereal - I have read that that is a myth and does not make babies sleep longer, although many mothers might beg to differ.

I hope this helps you. G. O.

I am a 28 year old mother of 3. My oldest child had major problems with her bowels. I did use karo syrup in her bottle( at the advise of her doctor) but olny when she was haveing trouble. Whitch ment she had not had a bowel movement in a couple of days. I don't think put it in every bottle is a good idea because she may get to the point that she won't take the bottle without it and all of that sugar is not good.
R.

It is best to let your family member work this situation out with her pediatrician. Alot of doctors will recommend karo syrup and it is not uncommon to need to put some syrup in every bottle if the child has alot of constipation issues. You may ask your family member to check with her doctor to see what they suggest. Often once the baby begins foods at 6 months prunes, peaches, and pears can be used in place of the karo syrup to promote bowel movements which are soft.

I have 4 kids, and used dark Karo syrup on each of them. Only I put 1 tbls in 1 8oz bottle a day. Shake it up real good and they would drink it down and not know the difference. It is a very natural and inexpensive way to keep their bowel movements regular. My pediatrician even recommended too...Your 20 year old stepdaughter sounds like she is doing a great job!! It is good she has a great support system with you and her dad too!!

My daughter also had problems as an infant with bowel movements. I was told to do the Karo syrup in every bottle by a friend, but I was also a bit skeptical. It was not until I went to the pediatrician that she also recommended the same thing. You are only to put maybe a fourth teaspoon though. Hope this helps.

just wanted to add, I had to put Karo syrup in my child's bottle and it indeed helped - it cannot harm them. My doctor suggested the "dark" Karo!

hello! i don't know about the karo syrup, but i do know that the rice cereal in the bottle is a myth. perhaps a book like "happiest baby on the block" would be helpful for her.

No, it is not odd. My 11 year old had a bowel movement problem when she was a baby. Her doctor told me to give her a bottle 2 times a day with Karo and water so that it would help her movements. So this is not unusual at all. Later on, I just put a teaspoon in each bottle until she eventually was regulating herself. I would say just ask your stepdaughter how long her pediatrician told her to do this. Just to give yourself peace of mind.

We have a very healthy 17 yr. old son who had many stomach problems while he was on formula and he was born a heavy 8 lbs. 10 ozs. He needed a good bit of formula a day to get full and we also did the dark karo syrup to help him have a regular BM. We only did 1-2 bottles a day with a tablespoon and it kept him regular. If not, we would have to do the suppositories and he would really have a hurting stomach. It won't hurt them and maybe when the baby is eating baby food and/or solids the extra substance will solve the problems.

Karo syrup sounds crazy but it is used to help babies with bowel movements. My second child, Samantha, had the same problem. It happened when I started her on solids. My first child Robert had no problems at all so when Samantha clearly was having problems I called the doctor. He said to give her kayo syrup so we did and it helped.
K. Mouledoux

My son was constipated all the time as an infant. My peditrician suggested karo (white or dark)in every bottle until his bowel movements became regulated. This worked for a little while but eventually we found out he was lactose intolerant and allerigic to soy based formulas. Thank God for Nutramigen!! We also had to end up giving him Miralax. Everything was regulated by the time he was 2. He is now 5 and has no problems at all, and he outgrew his intolerance to milk.

yes karo syrup will help with bowel movements in infants. Depending on the amount you use, I wouldn't worry too much about it, but like any "laxative" you must be careful that the child doesn't depend on Karo syrup to "go". Now, on the other hand if the child is using a formula or is on a medication that causes contipation, then yes it should be ok with every bottle. But I only put it in my child's bottle as needed.

Hope this helps.
J.

I have two kids of my own and I know when they were growing up a little karo syrup in their bottle occassionally did help. I do not think it needs to be everytime but if you see they are not using the bathroom regularly or strain it would be helpful.

I am the mother of an incredibly handsome 4 year old little boy and a beautiful 15 month old little girl. I have been extremely blessed to have a wonderful pediatrician. With my son, he was the first one who suggested putting dark karo syrup in his bottles to help with constipation. He said that it is very natural and is much better than switching formulas, which is what most people do when their baby has problems with bowel movements. I have to say that I used this method with both of my children and it worked wonders. We did not put it in every bottle, just as needed. It is a natural alternative to a very common problem. We put it in bottles until they were able to drink more juice and water (another natural helper with constipation).

My son's pediatrician told us to do the same thing when he was a baby. I thought he was crazy, but it helped. And every time I didn't do it for a couple of bottles, he would get constipated. I'm not sure what causes some babies to get constipated so easily, but he always did. Even now, he does...and he is almost 3. I have to closely monitor what he is/ is not eating to prevent it.

I feel your pain. MY little girl went through the same thing and to this day still has a problem with constipation. I give her miralax as needed. I guess it depends on what the alternative method would be. Karo is a lot better than having baby in pain or worse you or your step-daughter having to get the poo out of her bottom yourself. It's pretty traumatizing for all involved. There are meds, but I think they are for older children. Mineral oil can be used, but you shouldn't use it 2 hours before or after a meal and since she's probably still eating pretty frequently mineral oil is not recommened. At least that's what I was told. I had the same problem with my dauhter and I had to put Karo in EVERY bottle until she regulated then I would just keep an eye on her bowel movements and give the Karo as needed. I switched my child to soy formula and that helped some, but I'm really not sure if that was just a coincidence or if taking the dairy out really helped...some say it does.

good luck

While my son was still on formula...I gave him one TB of Karo syrup in lukewarm water every afternoon...I know i either read this in a baby book...or from the dr. don't remember now. I think in every bottle might be too much...I would ask her if that was what the drs are advicing now...to see if she got the idea from her dr. Maybe she misunderstood that it was to be every bottle...or maybe I misunderstood and was doing it the wrong way ..lol I did it in the afternoon rite after I got home from work..it seemed to be a treat for my son and something he looked forward too and relaxed him (this time of day seems to be the "fussy" time for babies)...and he never had any bm problems. Also my son was switched to Isomil because of "gasiness". Is your step-daughter eligible for WIC...I worked full time and was at the time. It payed for all the formula I needed plus other foods as needed....the price of the formula alone was well worth the trouble

Hello Vistoria
I had to do it with my little girl when she was a baby cuz she a trouble going to the bathroom and it helps. Cuz before I started using it she would scream and cry when she tried to go. The dr. was the one who told me to do it so it's ok for her to be putting it in every bottle.
H.

Don't worry, Karo corn syrup is a good laxitve for the babies. However, I would not do it forever, just until the baby's bowels get stable. A week or two wont matter much.

E.

I wouldn't use it. Karo syrup is corn syrup. The stuff packaged foods use to sweeten up their already too sweet cookies. I try to buy foods that have no high fructose corn syrup its just added sugar that the kids don't need. I would not want to get a baby that small used to sugary sweet milk or any food for that matter. If it makes her stool softer it's probably because it is irritating to her digestive system. If the baby is on formula then your stepdaughter should try different kinds until she finds one that is gentle on her baby's stomach. Hope this helps!

That's a bit extreme. I would think that if she needed it that much, she'd need to see an endocrinologist to find out why she needs it so much, and not just rely on a pediatrician's opinion. That's not good for little ones to rely on that kind of thing so much. The brand of formula can make a HUGE difference. 2 of my kids could not have Carnation Good Start, and neither could my nephews. It was too hard on their tummies. My niece couldn't have Similac. So, different brands (not just switching to soy) can really make a difference. Also, switching from powder to liquid can help. I'm assuming she's at least tried prune or pear juice (1oz water w/ 1oz of pear juice can help a LOT, and that's a safe amount for that age).

My Sister-in-law was told by her pediatrician to give her 6wk old baby pineapple juice to help his constipation. DO NOT DO THIS! Tiny baby's can NOT have pineapple juice! It'll tear them up. He told her to do this before he even said to try anything else. When I was working in the ER several years ago, a lady once brought a baby in that she'd been giving orange juice to. It tore her up (way too acidic) and made her so sick, she was in the hospital for almost a week. There are Dr's (even extremely popular Dr.s) out there that need to be second guessed, that's why there are second opinions. I'd definitely have her get a second opinion to make sure that's what was best for the baby. (Second opinions save lives, not that this is something that extreme, but sometimes second opinions are necessary.) When treating babies and small children, it's very important to think about their future and what they're going to need and what's going to happen to them and their bodies in the future with what you're doing to them now.

As far as rice goes, feeding babies at night just before bed can give them worse tummy aches. Also, it's never a good idea to give babies younger than 4mths food. There have even been a lot of studies lately that have linked diabetes to feeding children solids before 4mths. And, rice should never be put in bottles, just spoon fed.

V., apparently your step daughter comes from a backgroud that has seen hard times....so did I, and we definitely made the babies bottles with Karo syrup. There was no Simalac, Infamil, and the so, so many kinds of baby milk that is available now at that time. It does not harm the baby and she's right it does help with the babies bowel movements. It's a little more work than buying the formula but it works just as good perhaps even better...your mother may have even used it with you.

I did this also with one of my girls as advised by our pediatrician.

Karo syrup is corn syrup which is known for add and alot of other problems with kids. I don't mean to be negative but I would definetly work on switching formulas. Occassionally maybe ok but not everyday. I could be wrong but couldn't this also affect the baby's first teeth from the sugar content alone.
My daughter had alot of stomach issues and seeing your baby scream is not fun but I worked really hard with the peditrician to work out her problems safely.