Preventing children from having major injuries around house

Preventing children from having major injuries around house

Donya Betancourt, Pediatrician, Jakarta

Did you know that injuries are the greatest threat to the life
and health of your child? The good news is that you can prevent
most major injuries.

Accidents often occur because parents are not aware of what
their children can do. Children learn fast, and before you know
it your child will be wiggling off a bed or reaching for your cup
of hot tea.

All children deserve to live in a safe environment. Guidance
for injury prevention should be an integral part of the medical
care provided for all infants, children and adolescents.

An injury prevention program should include age-appropriate
safety tips for newborns up to children 12 years of age, to help
prevent common injuries from motors, drowning, firearms, falls,
bicycle crashes, pedestrian hazards, burns, poisoning and
choking.

Falls

Because of your child's new abilities, he or she will fall
often. Protect your child from injury. Use gates on stairways and
doors. Remove sharp-edged or hard furniture from the room where
your child plays. Do not use a baby walker. Your child will tip
it over, fall out of it, or fall down the stairs in it. Baby
walkers allow children to get to places where they can pull hot
food or heavy objects down on themselves. These injuries happen
most to children younger than 4 years old.

Burns

At six to 12 months children grab at everything. Never leave
cups of hot coffee on tables or counter edges. And never carry
hot liquids or food near your child or while holding your child.

Also, if your child is left to crawl or walk around stoves,
floor heaters or other hot appliances, he or she is likely to get
burned.

A safe place for your child while you are cooking, eating or
unable to provide your full attention is with a caretaker or in a
playpen, highchair or crib. If your child does get burned, put
cold water on the burned area immediately. Then loosely cover the
burn with a bandage or clean cloth. Call your doctor for all
burns.

Drowning

All children love to play in water. Empty all the water from
bathtubs, pails or any containers of water immediately after use.
Keep the door to the bathroom closed. Never leave your child
alone in or near a bathtub, pail of water, wading or swimming
pool, or any other water, even for a moment.

Drowning can occur in less than five centimeters of water.
Knowing how to swim does not make your child water safe at this
age. Stay within an arm's length of your child around water.

If you have a swimming pool, now is the time to install a
fence that separates the house from the pool. The pool should be
fenced in on all four sides. Younger children drown when they
wander out of the house and fall into a pool that is not fenced
off from the house. It only takes a moment for your child to get
out of your house and fall into your pool.

Drowning is a common cause of death in children so the rule is
no matter how good your child swims, up until 10 years of age
your child is not safe alone in water.

Do not let your child play around any water (lake, stream,
pool or ocean) unless an adult is watching. Never let your child
swim in canals or any fast-moving water. Teach your child to
never dive into water unless an adult has checked the depth
first. And when on any boat, be sure your child is wearing a life
jacket.

Poisoning and choking

Many ordinary household items can be poisonous. Be sure to
keep household products such as cleaners, chemicals and medicines
up, up, and away, completely out of sight and reach of children.
Never store lye drain cleaners in your home.

A younger child will explore the world by putting anything and
everything into his or her mouth. Never leave small objects or
balloons in your child's reach, even for a moment. Don't feed
your child hard pieces of food such as hot dogs, raw carrots,
grapes, peanuts or popcorn. Cut all food into thin slices to
prevent choking.

Be prepared if your child starts to choke. Learn how to save
the life of a choking child.

Next week we will cover safety issues for older children.