Accident/Injury Prevention
by Dr. Brown
Accidents and injuries are often avoidable and this article should be read and reread as your child ages. Please also see our page on "Babyproofing" Safety Checklist.
Zero to 1 Year
Car safety:
Position car restraint in the middle of back seat whenever possible. This is the safest position in a car crash for your little one. Seats face backward until two years of age if the child is not too big. www.seatcheck.org. There is additional info on our website regarding car seat selection, etc.
Drowning:
Pools: should have at least a 4 foot fence with a self-closing gate around it. Remember your neighbor, grandparent or friend may not have up to date information, so be careful when at their home. This may sound very peculiar, but children have actually reached into and fallen into buckets of water (and old-time diaper pails), unable to pull themselves out and subsequently drown!! Baths: Do not leave children unattended in baths, period. Let that phone ring, they will call back. Adults should be within an arms length. This also works for pools and hot tubs for older children.
Fires/Burns:
Have functioning smoke detectors on every level of your home and placed near sleeping areas.
Test detectors monthly and replace batteries yearly.
Establish a family fire escape plan. This should include multiple escape routes and a meeting spot outside or at a neighbor.
Have and check fire extinguishers in kitchen and near master bedroom. All adults to know locations and how to use them! Babysitters too.
Keep matches and lighters out of reach of children.
Reduce hot water temperature on your hot water heater to 120 degrees or less.
Do not drink hot liquids near young children. They love to spill your coffee on themselves!
Cover electric outlets with clear safety plugs. You can use on any color outlet and it does not call extra attention to it.
Keep pots and grills and fireplaces out of reach of children. When cooking, turn handles away from where your toddler can reach it. Stoves are another source of burns, especially late in the afternoon.
Poisons:
Keep poisons out of reach, medicines and vitamins too. Child resistant is not child proof. Post the Poison Control number in a prominent spot or two in your home and on your cell phone! 800-222-1222
Lead avoidance:
Lead is in many places like ink on paper and books. It can be found in paint on many imported toys. Therefore, think about what goes in your child’s mouth as a potential source of lead before giving it to them to chew on. If is is not sold as a teether it is not likely to be a great source of nutrition.
Threats to breathing:
Accidents and injuries are often avoidable and this article should be read and reread as your child ages. Please also see our page on "Babyproofing" Safety Checklist.
Zero to 1 Year
Car safety:
Position car restraint in the middle of back seat whenever possible. This is the safest position in a car crash for your little one. Seats face backward until two years of age if the child is not too big. www.seatcheck.org. There is additional info on our website regarding car seat selection, etc.
Drowning:
Pools: should have at least a 4 foot fence with a self-closing gate around it. Remember your neighbor, grandparent or friend may not have up to date information, so be careful when at their home. This may sound very peculiar, but children have actually reached into and fallen into buckets of water (and old-time diaper pails), unable to pull themselves out and subsequently drown!! Baths: Do not leave children unattended in baths, period. Let that phone ring, they will call back. Adults should be within an arms length. This also works for pools and hot tubs for older children.
Fires/Burns:
Have functioning smoke detectors on every level of your home and placed near sleeping areas.
Test detectors monthly and replace batteries yearly.
Establish a family fire escape plan. This should include multiple escape routes and a meeting spot outside or at a neighbor.
Have and check fire extinguishers in kitchen and near master bedroom. All adults to know locations and how to use them! Babysitters too.
Keep matches and lighters out of reach of children.
Reduce hot water temperature on your hot water heater to 120 degrees or less.
Do not drink hot liquids near young children. They love to spill your coffee on themselves!
Cover electric outlets with clear safety plugs. You can use on any color outlet and it does not call extra attention to it.
Keep pots and grills and fireplaces out of reach of children. When cooking, turn handles away from where your toddler can reach it. Stoves are another source of burns, especially late in the afternoon.
Poisons:
Keep poisons out of reach, medicines and vitamins too. Child resistant is not child proof. Post the Poison Control number in a prominent spot or two in your home and on your cell phone! 800-222-1222
Lead avoidance:
Lead is in many places like ink on paper and books. It can be found in paint on many imported toys. Therefore, think about what goes in your child’s mouth as a potential source of lead before giving it to them to chew on. If is is not sold as a teether it is not likely to be a great source of nutrition.
Threats to breathing:
- Back to sleep as the position of choice. SIDS(Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) is most common on belly, less on side and least on back. So, 20 years ago we adopted back for sleep position and this has dramatically brought down the SIDS numbers. Yet, every day in the office some parent says their child sleeps better on their belly or that they are too lazy to turn them over again. We do not support that practice. Back to sleep, please.
- Remove comforters, pillows, bumpers, and stuffed animals from the crib.
- Co-sleeping with parents is not a good idea. Your mattress is too soft for young children and when they roll over they may not be able to breath. Each year, a few children are suffocated by their own parent who does not even know it. Coroners call this suffocating.
- You bought a crib for your child. It is made for safe sleeping. Use it. Make sure the mattress meets safety standards. Drop down sides do not meet code anymore.
- Place bouncy seats only on the floor, same with car seats used in the home. They fall from on high when you blink!
- Avoid nuts, raw carrots, popcorn, hot dog pieces, hard candy, coins, batteries, magnets, small toys and parts of toys for children under 4 years of age.
- Bottle tops are not teethers or toys to play with.
- Cut blind cords to decrease choking hazards. Minimally, tie out of reach of children.
- No baby walkers with wheels. They do not promote walking but rather toe walking and are dangerous for tipping over, especially if an older child takes them for a ride or they are used near stairs.
- Use safety straps to anchor Flat Screen TVs to wall if they are on a cart. Recent news report several deaths from young children pulling them onto themselves.
- Use safety straps in shopping carts in the stores, high chairs and even on changing tables.
- Over 6 months of age put crib mattress all the way down. Remove mobiles that may pose a choking hazard from cribs before they pull to stand and can choke on them.
- Car seats: Rear facing until 2 years of age as possible for size of child. Booster chairs after 40 pounds. www.seatcheck.org
- Drowning prevention: As above. Additionally wear life jackets when around water, on boats or in water.
- Fire/Burns: As above.
- Falls from windows. Do not let your child learn that it is a safe place with you to play on a window sill. When you turn your back, out they go. The bug screen may keep bugs out but they are not intended to keep children in!
- Bike safety: Wear helmets for biking, scooters, inline skating, ice skating or skiing.
- Remove drawstrings on hoodies and other clothing to prevent choking hazards, especially on playgrounds where they may get caught.
- No bare feet on wood decks or in wood chips in the play areas. Splinters are very tough to get out at this age!
- Firearms: 1/3 of homes have guns, 70% are unlocked. Think to ask when your child goes for a play date at a friend’s home or grandparent’s place. Yikes! 75% of children who found a gun played with it. 50% pulled the trigger!
- Secure your TV's: heavy TVs are toppling over on young children in increasing numbers. Between 2008 and 2010, 13,700 children were rushed to emergency departments after being struck by a falling TV. Most victims are under 5.
- Car seats until 80 pounds and 57 inches. www.seatcheck.org
- Drowning prevention: As above. Teach swimming and water safety. Life jackets when near water or on boats.
- Fire/Burns: As above.
- Bike safety: Wear helmets for biking, scooters, inline skating, ice skating or skiing. This age group may be more resistant to wearing them. Be the parent you mean to be. Children less than 10 should not be in the roadsbiking or skating.
- Wrist guards are very important, especially for roller blading. Although head injuries are the most serious, wrist and arm fractures are the most common injuries.
- Remove drawstrings on hoodies and other clothing to prevent choking hazards, especially on playgrounds where they may get caught.
- Teach children to tie square bows for their shoes. There will be fewer screaming episodes and fewer untied shoes. The square bow is a stronger knot than a granny bow. Check this video out! See Video Below (thanks Dr. Barrows!)
- Seat belts, safety helmets for appropriate sports like biking, football, skiing, hockey, skating, etc.
- Wrist guards are very important, especially for roller blading. Although head injuries are the most serious, wrist and arm fractures are the most common injuries.
- Fires/burns: As above. Teach your children how to use a fire the extinguisher.
- Drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana: Prevention is best if discussed by both parents, REGULARLY. If there is a change in friends, time spent at home or away at other people’s home, be suspicious. Does your child now have a lighter? What else can this be for?