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 hildren
are naturally curious and will experiment with just about anything around
the house. Unfortunately, this curiosity can put children at risk of
injury or even death at home.
Young children especially
are vulnerable because they spend the majority of their time in the
house. According to the National SAFE KIDS Campaign, an estimated 1,620
children died at home in 1999 from suffocation, choking, falls, unintentional
firearm injuries, poisoning, drowning and fires. Parents can help prevent
these incidents by taking safety measures and teaching children about
possible dangers.
“Parents and caretakers
don’t realize that injuries are the leading cause of death and disability
for children. Education and preparation are the keys to preventing injuries
— children don’t announce when they’ve mastered a new skill, so it’s
important to anticipate where her attention will focus next. You won’t
know your child can open a door, turn on the oven or open a medication
bottle until she’s done it,” says Carol Hasty, who has a master’s in
nursing and serves as coordinator of the Dallas Area SAFE KIDS Coalition.
Everyone
can take measures to protect children at home
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Childproof
your home by exploring your home on your child’s level — on your
hands and knees. This is the best way to find dangers your child
might encounter. Repeat this process in every room of your house
checking for visible dangers, and also check carpets for buried
dangers like pins or coins. |
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It is important
to understand that childproofing can never be 100 percent effective.
To fully protect children, supervise them at all times, especially
around water, in the kitchen and bathroom, and wherever known hazards
exist. Also, be especially careful when you and your child are visiting
other people’s homes, including those of grandparents and other
family members, as potential hazards could exist. |
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The
following are recommendations for childproofing your home from
the National SAFE KIDS Campaign. Children’s Medical Center is
the lead organization for the Dallas Area SAFE KIDS Coalition,
the local coalition of the National SAFE KIDS Campaign.
In
the kitchen:
•
Keep hot foods and liquids away from young children. Each
year, nearly 26,000 children ages 14 and under are treated in
emergency rooms for scald burns.
• Use the back burners on the stove and turn pot
handles toward the back of the stove.
• Keep glassware, knives, appliance cords, placemats
and tablecloths out of reach and away from the edge of counters
and tables.
• Don’t let kids sit on the countertops, especially
in child carriers as they could burn themselves or tip and fall.
 In
the bathroom:
• Set the thermostat of your hot water heater no higher
than 120 degrees Fahrenheit to reduce the chance of scald
burns. It takes just three seconds for a child to sustain a third
degree burn from water at 140 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Lock medicine cabinets. Even items as seemingly
harmless as iron pills and mouthwash can be dangerous for a young
child.
• Install toilet locks. Unlike adults, children’s
weight is concentrated in the top half of their bodies. When they
lean into a toilet bowl, they may lose their balance, fall forward
and drown in as little as one inch of water.
• Request child-resistant packaging. But keep in
mind that child-resistant containers are not childproof. These
medicines still need to be locked up out of a child’s reach.
• Remove sharp utensils and appliances. Razors,
scissors and blow dryers are better kept in an adult’s bedroom,
locked out of children’s reach.
In the bedroom:
• Beware of old cribs. Baby furniture built even
a decade ago might not meet some of today’s safety standards.
• Keep beds and cribs away from windows and drapery.
Children can strangle in drapery cords or fall from windows that
are accessible from the bed or crib. Consider purchasing cordless
window coverings to avoid these hazards.
• Avoid sleeping with an infant as rollover and
suffocation can occur.
Around
the house:
• Check for fire hazards. Look for frayed electrical
wires or flammable materials near heat sources such as space heaters.
Never run electrical cords under rugs. Make sure that your home,
and any home your child visits, has working smoke alarms in every
sleeping area and on every level. Be sure to change smoke alarm
batteries annually.
• Install carbon monoxide detectors in every sleeping
area and check batteries often. Exposure to even low levels
of this poisonous gas can be fatal to a small child.
• Use safety gates. Stair falls tend to result in
severe injuries. Use safety gates at the top and bottom of stairs.
• Cover all unused electrical outlets.
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