PREVENTION OF CHOKING/SUFFOCATION
1. Do not give the child any food that is big in size, particularly round things that the child can put into his mouth as a whole, as there is a danger that the child may choke upon it. This precaution is necessary till the child is old enough to chew or spit out such things (usually 4 years of age). Classical examples are nuts, buttons, beads, popcorn etc. Chop things that are large into small pieces so that the child may not choke upon it.
2. Do not allow a child with food in his mouth to run and play, jostle or bounce him.
3. Be careful with toys. They may have small detachable parts that the child may mouth and choke upon. Better buy the child toys that do not have detachable parts.
4. Be careful in disposing of button batteries. The child may mouth it. Even if it goes into the stomach instead of the windpipe, because of its alkaline nature, it has to be removed.
5. Don’t allow the child to put sharp objects particularly sharp pencils in the mouth. Though the child most likely won’t choke on it, there is a risk that the sharp point may puncture the area near the tonsils, which can lead to onesided paralysis of the child.
6. Be on the watch if the child is playing with a plastic bag. He may cover his head and face with it (by pulling down the plastic bag over his face), leading to suffocation.
7. Long strings, threads etc. (particularly when the child is learning to tie some knots), can be dangerous. Accidentally the child may entwine the piece of cord around his neck.
PREVENTION OF BURNS INCLUDING ELECTRICAL
Majority of the burns in a child are scald burns (i.e. those caused by hot liquids). Common offenders are food, beverages and hot geyser water in the bathroom.
1. Never drink anything hot while holding a baby. The baby may accidentally jerk or make some unexpected movement, spilling the contents over him and you.
2. Keep matches, lighters etc. out of reach of the children.
3. Have a fire extinguisher at home.
4. Don’t use tablecloths or mats that a child can pull off the table and so cause any hot liquids kept on the table to spill over him.
5. Turn pot handles away so that they don’t protrude from the edge of the cooking gas.
6. When you are ironing cloths, never leave it unattended. If the phone rings or you have to do something in the midst of ironing, make sure the iron is out of reach of the child.
7. Always cover the electrical outlets. A child loves to plug and unplug things in the electrical outlets. Tape tightly any joint or naked wire. Replace worn out cables.
PREVENTION OF DROWNING
Never leave a child under 3 years unattended, even, in a bathtub. They can drown in that small an amount of water also. Never leave a child unattended near a swimming pool. Children are not “water safe” before the age of 3 years. So start swimming lessons only after that age.
Household water storage systems like tanks, drums etc. should be out of reach of your child. Else, the child may lean over them and accidentally topple inside. If your child is diving in swimming pool, make sure that the area where he dives has adequate water levels. People have been killed (by head injury) while diving in too shallow waters and banging their heads against the floor of the swimming pool.
1. Always keep the side rails up in a crib.
2. The staircases and the rooftops should have side railing.
3. Teach the child to cross the road safely at the age of 5-6 years. Before that, never leave the child without you holding him in areas of traffic.
4. Do not teach a child to ride a bicycle before the age of 7-8 years. Ideally the child should have a helmet on when riding a bicycle.
5. Baby walkers, though convenient, are responsible for many accidents as the walker can trip. The child may topple over and bang his head. So use them with your close attention on it.
6. While riding on a scooter or car, always use some restrain for the child like seat belts. On a scooter the child can be strapped to the mother with some sort of belt or harness.
PREVENTION OF POISONING
1. Keep all medicines out of reach of the children. Open tablets, capsules etc. should be disposed. Tightly screw the cap of all medicine bottles.
2. Discard all old, used medicines.
3. Never use medicines from an unlabelled or unreadable container.
4. Store medicines in their original containers and never in food or beverage containers.
5. Drugs and medicines are not the only source of poisoning. Chemicals, insecticides, petrol, kerosene, all sorts of house cleaners etc. are things which the child can ingest. Keep them in a safe place out of reach of the children.
Parents should take pains in taking precautions to prevent a mishap. A casual attitude and a carefree approach that nothing can happen to my child is to be condemned. Remember that no one can predict when and where a tragedy will strike. So, parents should keep their eyes and ears open, use their common sense and spend some time and energy in making the child’s surroundings “accident free.”