Studies indicate that over one-third of child injuries and fatalities occur at home. Young children face a greater risk because they spend most of their time in these environments. Maintaining a safe home is vital for families with children of any age.
It is impossible to completely safeguard your home from children, but you can significantly reduce injury risks by making targeted changes and keeping your child under constant supervision.
Anticipating childhood hazards demands constant vigilance and adherence to proven safety practices. By prioritizing these protocols, you can minimize severe childhood injuries or deaths.
Introduction
Most childhood injuries commonly occur where there is water (in the bathroom, swimming pool, kitchen, hot tubs, etc.); heat or fire (in the kitchen, fireplace, or at the grill outside); toxic substances (under the sink, in the medicine cabinet or any place where medicine is kept, in the garage or shed); potential for a fall (stairs, high windows. slippery floors, tipping furniture); and/or potential choking hazards (long cords, unsafe sleep environments to infants, food like whole grapes or hot dogs that pose a choking risk).
You can make your home a safer place for your children, but accidents may still happen. Be sure to always supervise them, keep a first aid kit, learn some basic first aid, and learn CPR and the Heimlich maneuver for infants and children as well!
Here are three key areas that cause the most common childhood injuries and the best safety practices to prevent them:
1. Poisons and Choking Objects
Babies and infants explore the world through their mouths. Therefore, ensure that you remove objects that could pose a health risk if swallowed. Store all potentially poisonous substances in locked or high-positioned cabinets, out of their reach. Keep items small enough to fit within a toilet paper tube out of reach for children under the age of three.
Common sources of childhood poisoning may include:
- Household detergents, disinfectants, and cleaners.
- Prescription and over-the-counter medications.
- Lawn and garage chemicals, including fertilizers, pesticides, and antifreeze.
- Personal care products, including cosmetics, deodorant, shampoo, nail polish remover
- Alcohol and nicotine.
- THC gummies/edibles and other illicit drugs.
- Small button batteries, like those found in key fobs, children’s talking books, watches, and some remote controls.
If you suspect your child has swallowed a potentially hazardous substance, call your pediatrician immediately or go to the nearest hospital.
2. Motor Vehicle and Traffic Safety
Car-related accidents account for many childhood injuries and fatalities that occur each year. While these accidents aren’t always preventable, these steps can be taken to reduce the likelihood of car-related dangers:
- Avoid being distracted when driving. Always follow safe driving rules. Never text while driving.
- Always buckle up your children. Ensure they always ride in cars safely buckled into a car seat.
- Always check behind your vehicle before backing up. In driveways or parking lots, backover accidents account for hundreds of childhood deaths annually. Most of these accidents involve little children who cannot be seen easily through a rear-view mirror. Therefore, make it a habit to physically check behind the car before moving it. Or use a rear-object detection camera, if your car has one, to ensure no children are in your car’s path before shifting into reverse.
- Adopt reminder systems. You can set an alarm on your phone or put a sticky note on the dashboard to ensure you never accidentally leave a child in the backseat of a hot, parked car. It’s been reported that an average of 37 children die each year from heatstroke after being left in a car alone.
3. Safe Sleep for Babies
Research shows that about 3,500 babies die unexpectedly in their sleep each year, with Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) accounting for about one in three of these deaths.
SIDS represents the leading cause of death for babies between one month and one year of age. Currently, there is no recognized single cause of SIDS, but parents can reduce the likelihood of sudden infant death by practicing these safe sleep guidelines:
- Always place babies on their backs to sleep.
- Place babies on sleep surfaces that are firm, flat, and covered only by a fitted sheet.
- Give babies a separate space to sleep, different from the parents' bed.
- Avoid placing comforters, thick blankets, pillows, stuffed animals, or other items that could pose suffocation risks in the baby’s crib.
- Avoid smoking, vaping, or drinking alcohol during pregnancy. Studies suggest mothers’ use of these substances before delivery can lead to increased SIDS risk once the baby arrives.
Home Safety Checklist
Caring for a little child brings lots of joy — and responsibility. By taking these essential steps to keep children safe at home, in the car, around water, and while sleeping, you can significantly reduce the risk of serious childhood injury:
- Never leave a child unattended by water or in a bathtub.
- Use window guards on windows above ground level.
- Don’t use pressure-mounted gates at the top of stairs.
- Use childproof devices on toilets.
- Set your water heater thermostat at less than 120 degrees Fahrenheit for hot water to prevent scalding. Test the water on the inside of your wrist (it’s more sensitive there) before placing a child in the bathtub.
- Keep appliance cords out of reach and cover electric outlets that are not in use.
- Have smoke alarms on every level of the house and outside each sleeping area. Check smoke alarms at least twice a year.
- Keep medications, cleaning solutions, and other similar items out of sight and reach of children.
- Keep products in the original packaging or in a labeled container.
Dr. Favvy
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Disclaimer
The information on this blog is just for educational purposes only.
It should not be used as a replacement for the medical care and advise of your child’s pediatrician.
Always consult your pharmacist before giving your child any drug.
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