Protecting Our Little Ones
The younger the child, the greater the risk. Each day 40,000 child accident victims require medical treatment.
Infants and toddlers don't know sharp edges or pointed objects can hurt. Or that small things like marbles or a teddy bear's eyes can choke them. Or that electricity can shock them. It's up to us to protect them.
Baby Walkers
Get rid of any walker with wheels! That's the advice of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. In 1997, over 14,300 children under 15 months old went to emergency rooms with walker injuries. Children in the safer stationary walkers are far less likely to fall down stairs.
Shopping Carts
Every year, 22,000 kids under six are rushed to emergency rooms after falling out of shopping carts. 60% of these suffer head injuries. Rules for safe shopping? Always use safety belts in cart, stay close to cart, and never let child stand up in the cart.
Toy Chests
No chest should have a latch that may trap a child inside. All chests should have ventilation holes in case a curious toddler climbs inside. Make sure chests have durable lid supports to prevent the lid from slamming down on the back of a youngster's neck or head.
Crib Toys
Any toys with strings or elastic can be hazardous to young children. Kids can easily get tangled up by strings of toys stretched across their crib. Hundreds have their breathing cut off by crib toys, window cords, and drawstrings on clothing. Falling Televisions: Over a thousand children under four are seriously injured each year when they pull TVs down from tall, rickety carts. These heavy picture tubes often cause massive skull fractures. Prevent this with a TV stand that is sturdy and close to the floor.
Balloons
Small children love to chew on un-inflated balloons or pieces of popped ones. When they inhale a piece of latex they can suffocate and die. Best idea? Birthday parties without balloons.
Water Hazards
The CPSC reports 300 kids under age five drown each year. A very common, avoidable cause is pools without adequate fencing or supervision. Never leave a child alone – even momentarily – near a bathtub, swimming pool, or shallow-water play pool. Drowning can happen in seconds!
Fire Hazards
Kids under five have twice the risk of dying in a fire, representing 20% of total residential fire-related deaths. Lock up all matches and lighters – most fatal house fires start when children playing with matches light upholstered furniture or bedclothes. Keep candles up and away from kids and pets. Make sure you have working smoke detectors in every bedroom, hallway and kitchen – and check the batteries regularly.
Baby Gates
Stay away from the old-style expanding baby gates, door guards, and kiddy corrals with diamond-shaped openings. These outlawed designs can trap a child's neck.
Tips On Buying Toys
Pay attention to age labeling. Test buttons, bells, and stuffed animal eyes to make sure they won't pull off. Avoid toys with glass or breakable plastic. Avoid hand-me-down or yard sale toys for kids under three – lots of older toys were made before there were safety standards.
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