Child Safety

The National Safe Kids Campaign is recognized is May of each year. In keeping with this observance, Valley Medical Group has selected child safety as the health focus for this month.

Valley Medical Group is providing this information on child safety in an effort to help you keep your children safe, as well as healthy. Unintentional childhood injury is the number one killer of children ages 14 and under. Even though “unintentional injury” is a better term than accident, it is even better to call these “preventable injuries” since very often (but unfortunately, not always) they can be prevented with the proper safety measures.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends yearly physical exams for children up to age 21 years. Each time your child has his/her physical exam, we use our health questionnaire to assess health and safety concerns. We strive to improve the health of all of our patients, and work with parents to help identify practices that keep children safe. If you have any concerns about safety that are not addressed during your visit, please ask your practitioner for advice and information. We can provide you with brochures and other print or web information to help you increase your awareness of preventable injuries.

Below you’ll find information from the National SAFE KIDS Campaign with safety tips for general, as well as age specific, risks. The National SAFE KIDS Campaign is a non-profit organization dedicated solely to the prevention of unintentional childhood injury.

Please take a few minutes to read the safety information below. More resources are listed at the end of the article. Remember, if you have any questions speak with your practitioner. We want to keep kids safe and healthy!

Baby

Safety Tips

Now that you’re a parent, you’re probably extra careful. You drive more cautiously. You’re more wary of strangers. Call it instinct, conditioning, whatever you like – you want to protect your children from any dangers that may exist “out there.” 

But what about dangers that lurk closer to home? Items as seemingly innocent as the bathroom faucet or the loose button on your shirt suddenly take on a greater significance when you have an infant to care for. Even products meant to cradle or entertain your child can sometimes be dangerous.

Luckily, you don’t just have to rely on intuition. These proven tips will help you keep your baby safe and sound.

Eliminate potential hazards:

• Buy a crib that meets all current national safety standards. Corner posts should be 1/16 inch or shorter. Distance between crib slats should be 2 3/8 inches or less to avoid entrapment. The mattress should fit securely in the crib (no more than two fingers of space between crib and mattress) and be free of all plastic wrappings.
• Be especially wary of used cribs, especially those constructed before the safety standards were developed (1991).
• Remove all soft bedding, toys and pillows from the crib when your baby is sleeping, to reduce the risk of suffocation. Place your baby on his back to sleep.
• Buy only age-appropriate toys for your baby. Small toys and toy parts can choke infants – when in doubt, use a small parts tester.
• Make sure the nursery floor is free from small objects such as buttons, beads, marbles, coins and tacks. Keep these and other small items out of your baby’s reach.
• Make sure household cleaners, medicines and vitamins are locked up and away from your baby. Keep poisonous plants out of sight and reach.
• Never leave infants unattended near sinks, tubs, buckets and containers. Empty these items immediately after use. Store buckets and containers upside down.
• Avoid baby walkers on wheels – use stationary activity centers or other walker alternatives instead.

Prepare your home:

• Set the temperature on your water heater’s thermostat at 120 degrees Fahrenheit or lower.

• Install and maintain smoke alarms (outside bedrooms and on every floor) and carbon monoxide detectors (in every sleeping area) in your home.

• If your house or apartment was built before 1978, have a professional test your home for lead-based paint. If there is lead paint in your home, the paint should be completely removed or covered with an approved sealant.

• Install safety guards on windows. Never place a crib or other furniture near a window. Consider using cordless window coverings to avoid strangulation hazards posed by drapery and blind cords.

Practice safety:

• Use a child safety seat on every ride. Infants should ride in rear-facing child safety seats – in the back seat of the vehicle – until they are at least 1 year old and at least 20 pounds. Never place a rear-facing infant in the front seat of a car equipped with an active airbag. Consider attending a child safety seat check in your community to be sure your child's seat is properly installed and your child is properly restrained.

• Never leave your baby unattended in or near water, even for a second. Don’t rely on bathtub rings or other devices to keep your baby afloat.

• Don’t leave your baby unattended on changing tables, beds or other furniture. Keep one hand on your baby while changing diapers.

• Always check bath water for “hot spots” by moving your hand back and forth through the water.

• Avoid carrying hot foods or liquids near your baby.

Toddler

Safety Tips

“No!”

Throughout your child’s toddler years, you’ll probably hear that word more often than you’d like – from both of you! But sometimes, keeping your child safe means saying “no,” setting limits for your child or simply removing dangerous products from the home.

The best way to find the dangers your child might encounter is to explore your home at her level – by getting down on your hands and knees. Cover every room, asking yourself what looks tempting and what is within reach. Look for potential dangers between the floor and about 40 inches above. Also, check carpets for buried dangers like pins or coins. You may feel silly, but a few self-conscious minutes are better than years of regret.

Eliminate potential hazards:

• Buy only age-appropriate toys for your toddler. Small toys and toy parts can choke young children.

• Make sure floors are free from small objects such as buttons, beads, marbles, coins and tacks.

• Make sure dangerous items such as knives, household cleaners, medicines and vitamins are locked up and away from your children. Keep poisonous plants out of sight and reach.

• Request child-resistant packaging when possible. But keep in mind that child-resistant does not mean childproof. These medicines still need to be locked out of reach.

Prepare your home

• Set your water heater’s thermostat to 120 degrees Fahrenheit or lower.

• Install and maintain smoke alarms (outside bedrooms and on every floor) and carbon monoxide detectors (in every sleeping area) in your home. Check the house for fire hazards.

• Install toilet locks. Unlike adults, young children’s weight is concentrated in the top half of their bodies. They may lose their balance when leaning into a toilet bowl and can drown in as little as 1 inch of water.

• Use safety gates at both the top and bottom of stairs. Falls from stairs tend to result in severe injuries.

• Cover all unused electrical outlets.

• If your house or apartment was built before 1978, have a professional test your home for lead-based paint. If there is lead paint in your home, the paint should be completely removed or covered with an approved sealant.

• Install safety guards on windows. Screens are designed to keep bugs out, not to keep children in.

• Keep beds, cribs and other furniture away from windows. Children can unwittingly strangle in drapery or blind cords or fall from windows that are accessible. Consider purchasing cordless window coverings to avoid strangulation hazards.

• Keep ipecac syrup/activated charcoal locked away in the medicine cabinet, for use only on the advice of the poison control center or physician. Keep a first aid kit on hand and emergency numbers by every phone in the home. Include the national toll-free poison hotline: 1-800-222-1222.

• Young children love to climb on furniture and use drawers and shelves as steps. However, children can sustain crush injuries as furniture can easily tip over on them. Secure bookcases, shelving, and heavy furniture to walls with brackets and anchors. When storing items, put heavier items on bottom shelves and in bottom drawers.

• Large items such as TV's, microwaves, fish tanks and appliances can topple off stands and fall on children. Use broad-based carts for TV's and appliances. Secure carts and appliances to walls. Avoid using pedestal tables to hold heavy items.

• Supervise children and toddlers at all times around furniture.

• If your child has a serious fall or does not act normally after a fall, call your doctor.

Practice safety:

• The best thing you can do to protect your toddler is to supervise her/him at all times.

• Use the appropriate child safety seat on every ride. Children ages 1 to 4 and between 20 and 40 pounds can ride in forward-facing child safety seats, or in rear-facing convertible seats if the child has not reached the maximum rear-facing weight, in the back seat of the vehicle. Consider attending a child safety seat check in your community to be sure your child's seat is properly installed and your child is properly restrained.

• Never leave your toddler unattended in or near water, even for a second. Don’t rely on bathtub rings or other devices to keep children afloat. If you have a home swimming pool, install four-sided isolation fencing to protect your child from slipping out of the house and drowning before you notice.

• Keep young children in a safe area, or out of the kitchen while preparing meals. Children should never be in the kitchen unsupervised.

• Use the back burners on the stove and turn pot handles toward the back of the stove. Hot food and beverages, glassware and knives should be kept away from the edge of counters and tables. Appliance cords, placemats and tablecloths must be kept out of reach, too, to prevent children from pulling hot items down on themselves.

Poison

Safety Tips

When it comes to unintentional childhood poisonings, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. You can best protect your children by keeping harmful substances out of their sight and reach, and by testing for lead and carbon monoxide. Because no prevention method is 100 percent effective, being prepared can keep poison exposure from turning into tragedy for you and your family.

Eliminate potential hazards:

• Know which household products are poisonous. Something as common as mouthwash can be harmful if a child swallows a large amount.

• Buy child-resistant packaging. Child-resistant caps do not guarantee that children cannot open a container but may deter them from trying or slow them down long enough for you to intervene.

• Never leave potentially poisonous household products unattended while in use. It takes only seconds for a poisoning to occur.

• Don’t create new cleaning solutions by mixing different products designed for other uses. The new mixtures may be harmful to children and may not be stored in properly labeled or child-resistant containers.

• Always read labels and follow the exact directions. Give children medicines based on their weights and ages, and only use the dispenser that comes packaged with children’s medications.

Prepare your home:

• Store all household products and medications locked out of sight and reach of children.

• Keep all products in original containers. Never put a potentially poisonous product in something other than its original container, where it could be mistaken for something harmless.

• Know which plants in and around your home are poisonous; either remove them or make them inaccessible to children.

• Throw away old medicines and other potential poisons. Check your garage, basement and other storage areas for cleaning and work supplies that you no longer need.

• Install carbon monoxide detectors in your home. It is estimated that these detectors, designed to sound an alarm before dangerous levels of carbon monoxide accumulate, may prevent up to half of carbon monoxide poisoning deaths. If the alarm sounds, leave the house immediately and call the fire department, local utility company or emergency medical services from a neighbor’s home.

• If your home was built before 1978, have it tested for lead-based paint. Cover lead paint with a sealant or hire a professional to remove it. Wash children’s hands and faces, toys and pacifiers frequently to reduce the risk of ingesting lead-contaminated dust.

• Post the national toll-free poison hotline number at every telephone: 1-800-222-1222.

• Keep ipecac syrup on hand, and use it only at the advice of a poison control center or physician. Check with your local poison control center to see if they recommend that you keep activated charcoal in the home as well.

Teach safety:

• Teach children never to put leaves, stems, bark, seeds, nuts or berries from any plant into their mouths.

• Never refer to medicine or vitamins as “candy.” Referring to medicine as candy could cause a child to think that it is harmless or pleasant to eat. Since children tend to mimic adults, avoid taking medications in front of them.

• Teach grandparents and relatives to take precautions. Before your children visit their homes, ask grandparents to purchase a bottle of ipecac syrup to keep on hand and to post phone numbers to the local poison control center and their local physician near all of their telephones. When relatives visit your home, suitcases containing medicines should be stored where children cannot reach them.

School/Playground

Safety Tips 

“What did you do in school today?” 

Being aware and involved makes a big difference in protecting your children from school-related injuries. Since most of us can’t be with our kids throughout the school day, SAFE KIDS recommends that you advocate for safer practices and teach your child how to protect him- or herself.

Eliminate potential hazards:

• Check playgrounds where your children play. Look for age-appropriate equipment and hazards such as rusted or broken equipment and dangerous surfaces. Report any hazards to the school or municipality.

• Remove hood and neck drawstrings from all children’s outerwear to avoid strangulation hazards on playgrounds.

• Make sure children remove bike helmets before using any playground equipment.

• If your child is involved in a sports program, talk to the coordinator or coach to make sure the following are included: proper physical and psychological conditioning, appropriate safety equipment, a safe playing environment, adequate adult supervision, enforcement of safety rules, and an emergency medical plan.

• Carry with you an emergency kit that includes any special medications or supplies that your child may need.

• Make sure children playing sports are appropriately grouped according to skill level, weight and physical maturity, especially for contact sports.

Sports/Recreation

Safety Tips

“Put me in, coach!”

Injury doesn’t have to keep your kids on the bench – simple safety precautions like proper conditioning and equipment can help your kids stay off the sidelines and in the game.

Consistency is the key. Most organized sports-related injuries occur during practice – unfortunately, a third of parents (34 percent) say their kids do not often take the same precautions for practices as for games. It’s important that your kids take safety precautions whenever they play. SAFE KIDS has partnered with the National Athletic Trainers’ Association to provide you with the following tips.

Before the game:

• Before beginning a sport, all children should receive a general health exam and an orthopedic exam.

• Find out all you can about the person who is responsible for your child’s care while playing. Does the coach possess a state- or nationally approved certificate to coach this sport? Is she certified in CPR, and is a first aid kit available? Is a certified athletic trainer available to provide instruction and rehabilitation?

• Children should be physically and psychologically conditioned for activities, instructed in basic skills, and matched with other kids of similar skill level, weight and maturity.

• Check athletic grounds for hazards (rocks, holes, water, etc.). Also consider current and potential weather conditions (e.g. lightning).

• Make sure your children always wear appropriate safety gear and equipment that fits properly. Protective gear is sport-specific and may include mouth guards, shin pads, helmets, elbow pads, knee pads, safety goggles, etc.

• Ensure that children warm up and stretch before playing.

During the game:

• Make sure your children are supervised by an adult at all times. All safety rules should be strictly enforced.

• Dehydration in young athletes is a serious concern. Make sure your kids drink adequate liquids prior to, during and following athletic activities. Know the symptoms of dehydration: thirst, weakness, headaches, dark-colored urine or a slight decrease in body weight.

• Kids should receive adequate rest breaks during practice and games. They should not be expected to play through an injury.

• Parents and coaches should be role models by practicing good sportsmanship and playing by the rules.

• Prepare for an emergency by providing your child’s coach with important information: parents’ names, addresses, phone numbers, and any medical conditions or allergies affecting the athlete.

Bike/Helmet

Protecting Your Family 

"Do I have to wear a helmet, Mom?"

Kids, especially 11- to 14-year-olds, are sometimes reluctant to wear helmets. They may insist they’re good riders who don’t need helmets anymore, complain that helmets are uncomfortable, or – an old favorite – point out that none of their friends wear them. Your child may be especially mature for her/his age; or may be a particularly skilled rider; or it just might feel easier to give in. But we urge you to resist that temptation. Requiring your children to wear a helmet every time, everywhere they go, is the best thing you can do to protect them.

If your child rides a bike, then she/he probably also enjoys skateboards, scooters or inline skates! Make sure that whenever they are "wheeling" around, they are wearing the right gear.

Helmet tips:

• Don’t negotiate. It’s estimated that 75 percent of bicycle-related deaths among children could be prevented with a bicycle helmet.

• Buy a helmet that meets or exceeds current safety standards developed by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

• Correct fit is essential. Helmets should be comfortable and snug, but not too tight. They shouldn’t rock back and forth or side to side.

• Make sure your child wears the helmet correctly – centered on top of the head and always with the straps buckled. Children who wear their helmets tipped back have a 52 percent greater risk of head injury than those who wear their helmets properly.

• If your child is reluctant to wear a helmet, try letting them choose their own. Helmets come in many colors and styles – allowing children to choose a helmet that’s “cool” may make them less likely to take it off when you’re not around.

• Talk to other parents and encourage them to have their kids wear helmets. Let your children see that you wear a helmet, too. Children are more likely to wear helmets when riding with others who wear them.

Practice bike safety:

• Cyclists should be restricted to sidewalks and paths until they reach the age of 10 and can demonstrate they know the rules of the road. Supervision is essential until children develop the necessary traffic skills and judgment.

• Make sure your bike has a light and reflectors on the front, back and sides.

Teach your children:

• A bicycle is a vehicle, not a toy. Riding a bike - especially around traffic - is an important responsibility.

• Ride with traffic, not against it. Ride as far to the right as possible.

• Use appropriate hand signals.

• Respect traffic signals. Stop at all stop signs and red lights.

• Stop and look left, right and left again before entering a street.

• Look back and yield to traffic coming from behind before turning left at intersections.

• Don’t ride when it’s dark. If riding at dusk, dawn or in the evening is unavoidable, wear retroreflective material on clothing or bike, and use lights on the bike.

• Finally, proper bike fit and maintenance can help prevent injuries. Your child’s feet should reach the ground while sitting on the bike seat. Make sure the reflectors are secure, brakes work properly, gears shift smoothly, and tires are tightly secured and properly inflated.

Fire

Safety Tips

A small fire can grow into a deadly one within minutes. To help prevent a tragedy, closely inspect your home to eliminate potential hazards. Prepare your home for an emergency, and teach your family about the dangers of fire and how to escape. If a child is coached properly ahead of time, he or she will have a better chance of surviving. 

Eliminate potential hazards:

• Keep matches, lighters and other heat sources out of children's reach.

• Playing with matches and lighters is the leading cause of fire deaths for children ages 5 and under.

• Keep flammable items such as clothing, furniture, newspapers or magazines away from the fireplace, heater or radiator.

• Keep all portable heaters out of children’s reach.

• Avoid plugging several appliance cords into the same electrical socket.

• Replace old or frayed electrical wires and appliance cords, and keep them on top of, not beneath rugs.

• Store all flammable liquids such as gasoline outside of the home.

Prepare your home:

• Install smoke alarms on every level of your home and in every sleeping area. Consider installing both ionization alarms, which are better at sensing flaming fires, and photoelectric alarms, which are better at sensing slow, smoky fires.

• Test smoke alarms monthly. Maintain alarms by replacing batteries at least once a year, and replace alarms every 10 years. Plan and practice two escape routes out of each room of the house. It is important to have an alternate escape route in case one is blocked by fire. Fire drills should be practiced spontaneously throughout the year, as home fires and home fire-related deaths are more likely to occur during cold-weather months, December through February.

• Keep furniture and other heavy objects out of the way of doors and windows, so they won’t block an escape.

• Designate an outside meeting place, so all members of the family can be accounted for quickly.

Teach safety:

Children should know the sound of the smoke alarm. When they hear it, teach them to:

• Crawl low under smoke. An estimated three-fourths of childhood fire deaths are caused by the smoke and toxic gases produced as a fire develops and spreads.

• Touch doors before opening them. If the door is hot, use an alternative exit. 
  Never go back into a burning building. Children should be reminded not to stop or return for anything, such as a toy or to call 9-1-1. A call to 9-1-1 should be placed after leaving the premises.

• -Stop, drop and roll." Upon leaving the burning house or building, children whose clothes have caught on fire should immediately stop, drop to the ground and roll themselves back and forth quickly to extinguish the flames.

• Take children to your local fire station for a tour. Children will be able to see a firefighter in full gear and learn that he or she is someone who saves children - not someone to be afraid of or hide from.

• Also, be sure you’re not teaching your children bad habits. Don’t let them see you smoke in bed or disconnect smoke alarm batteries!

Firearms

Safety Tips

Other factors change, but there’s one common denominator in every unintentional firearm injury: access to a loaded firearm. The most important thing parents, caregivers and gun owners can do to protect children is reduce their access to firearms and safely store all guns.

Here’s what gun owners can do:

• If you have children in the home, any gun is a potential danger to them. Seriously consider the risks.

• Store firearms unloaded, locked up and out of children’s reach.

• Store ammunition in a separate, locked location.

• Use quality gun locks, lock boxes or gun safes on every firearm. Gun locks, when correctly installed, prevent firearms from being discharged without the lock being removed.

• Keep gun storage keys and lock combinations hidden in a separate location.

• Take a course in using, maintaining and storing guns safely.

Here’s what all caregivers can do:

• Talk to your children about the potential dangers of guns.

• Teach children never to touch or play with a gun.

• Teach children to tell an adult if they find a gun, or call 9-1-1 or the local emergency number if no adult is present.

• Check with neighbors, friends or relatives - or adults in any other homes where children visit - to ensure they follow safe storage practices if firearms are in the home.

You’ve just read a long list of things (and not even a comprehensive list) you can do to keep your kids safe. But it doesn't take long to practice them everyday. It just takes getting into the habit of being mindful of your children's safety. It can help if you just ask yourself 'Is that safe for my child?' or 'Is there a way that I can be doing this that would be safer for my kids?'

For More Information, see the following additional resources:

http://www.aap.org/family/tippmain.htm
http://www.safekids.org/
http://kidshealth.org/
http://www.nncc.org/homepage.html
http://www.cpsc.gov/kids/kidsafety/
http://www.mayoclinic.com/