Week 1: Safety Hazards & Your Child

This week we will be delving into five potentially hazardous situations or safety threats that you might find your preschool child exposed to. Young children are natural explorers, and by following some of the tips in this post, you will be able to better allow them to explore without endangering themselves.

           

Indoor Safety Hazards

Young children are often very curious. Especially as they see mom and/or dad using different devices to curl hair, make dinner, etc. It is during this time that is imperative that we take a look at our indoor surroundings to ensure that our children are safe from potentially dangerous situations.  Children of the age of two, three, and up face certain indoor safety hazards, and due to their age often find themselves stretching limits for the simple reason that they do not fully understand cause and effect (Robertson, 2010).  Most preschool age children love to explore places, and often times have discovered that they can now climb and/or hide in places they have been able to access before (Robertson).  Along with this, most preschoolers are much more confident in their abilities than their abilities actually call for.  With this in mind, it becomes crucial that the indoors be properly maintained. Cabinets need to be locked, tables and chairs need to be in good repair, stairs need to be blocked off if necessary, windows should have working locks and guards on them, and of course supervision is extremely necessary (Robertson).

Toy Safety

Toy related accidents cause over 200,000 injuries to children each year (Robertson, 2010). With this in mind, toy safety must be addressed. Our children love toys, and one key way that we can keep them safe while playing with toys is to ensure that their toys are age appropriate. While toys may offer the appropriate age on the box, it is still critical that parents verify that the toy does not offer any small parts, or potential choking hazards (Robertson). Other aspects of toy safety that parents can check for are:

            Sharp parts and points. Does the toy have any rough edges? Loose small parts? Or pieces that can potentially pinch? (Robertson, 2010).

            Durability. Is the toy going to break easily? If so, be cautious. A broken toy quickly becomes a dangerous toy (Robertson, 2010).

            Set safety rules. Most families have children of varying ages. Making it important that what may be appropriate for one child is not going to be appropriate for the other. Having known safety rules will help ensure that your one year old is not playing with a toy designed for their five year old brother.

Poison Control

90 percent of all poisoning in children happen in the home, and is in fact the most common emergency involving children (Robertson, 2010). The children most affected by household poisoning are children age 4 and under (Robertson). Meaning that in order to prevent household poisoning, parents must be vigilant in monitoring their children and ensuring that all hazards are properly stored.

However, we also need to consider that household poison control does not just mean locking away your favorite toilet bowl cleaner, or Windex. It also means examining your medicine cabinet, kitchen pantry and laundry room. Here is a list of some of other potentially dangerous items found in a house:

            Prescription drugs

            Hair care products

            Curling irons, blow dryers, etc.

            Baking sprays

            Alcoholic beverages

            Laundry soap

            Bleach

If we look at that list it becomes clear that each house in the room can offer the potential to harm a child.  Listed below are some easy ways that parents can help prevent a poisonous situation in their household:

Use safety locks on all storage cupboards. This would include the kitchen, bathroom and laundry room as needed. (Robertson, 2010).

Never refer to medicine as “candy”, and if possible do not take medicine in front of children (Robertson).

            Keep all medications, household cleaners in their original containers.

            Keep all poisons locked up and out sight and reach of children (Robertson, 2010).

Fire and Burn Prevention

If your preschool child is like most, he or she loves to touch! The sense of touch is an important one to a preschool child, especially when they are exploring their world. This love of touching can put your child in a precarious situation when it comes to fire and burns. Touching a hot burner is not the only way a young child can burn themselves. Other situations or items that can cause a potential threat are:

            Steam

            Hot beverages

            Bath water that is hotter than 120 degrees.

            Candle or candle wax

            Matches and/or lighters

Even with three children of my own, there were some items on this list that I had not seriously considered. For example, candle wax. Of course I keep my candles up and away when they are lit, but all it would take is one curious four year old hand to knock it over and be burned by candle wax. With this in mind, there are some steps parents can take in order to keep their child free from fire and burn hazards.

Turn pot handles in towards the center of the stove. This eliminates something for them to easily grab on to.

Make sure that your water heater is heated no greater than 120 degrees, and always test the water before putting your child in the bath (Robertson, 2010).

If you have a fireplace, ensure that there are the proper barriers surrounding it when in use.

Teach your child that matches and lighters are not toys and that if they discover some they should immediately bring them to you (Robertson, 2010).

And believe it or not, the number one fire safety tip is to always install smoke detectors in your home, and ensure that they are in working order throughout the year.

Sun Safety

Children love to play outside, and parents love for them to play outside in order to burn off all that energy! With outdoor play though comes the idea of sun safety. When we are discussing sun safety we are not merely talking about properly applying sun screen, but also taking into account proper clothing, and the outdoor temperature.

Of course when we think of sun safety we automatically think of sunscreen. Sunscreen is a wonderful tool in protecting children from the sun’s harmful UV rays. It is suggested that an SPF of 15 or higher be used on children and that it be applied at least 30 minutes before heading outside to play (Robertson, 2010).

Most experts agree that outdoor play is not always the best idea when it is between the hours of 10 and 4 (Robertson, 2010). This may not always be possible when a child is in school, and so one way to combat overexposure to the sun is to provide shade for children. A shaded sand box or water play area is a great way to allow children to play outdoors without direct exposure to the sun. Even supplying an oversized umbrella can give some much needed relief to a child while they play outdoors.

Also, let’s not forget how important it is to keep children hydrated when they are outside on sunny, warm days. Young children do not often think to stop and ask for a drink, so make it a point to ask them often if they would like a nice cold glass of water.

Children are always going to encounter hazardous situations; it is within their nature to be curious and to seek out the new and uncharted.  However, with a little, possibly a lot, of forethought, and parental supervision you can create a wonderfully safe environment for your child to explore and play in.

Reference:

Robertson, C. (2010). Safety, nutrition, and health in early education (4^th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning