Ten things that could hurt your child!

Having parented 2 active children, I have always felt that ensuring the safety of children is of utmost importance. I thought I would today share 10 things that could hurt a child and steps that parents could take to prevent them and ensure the safety of the child with my friends in indiapulse.sulekha.com.

10 things that hurt children and how to prevent them:

1. Many toddlers are rushed to hospitals after swallowing something dangerous like detergent tablets, cleaning products or concentrated detergents.

You could prevent such accidents by moving these dangerous chemicals from under the sink to a high cupboard or a cupboard that is under lock and key out of the reach of toddlers.

2. Quite a few young children or toddlers are admitted daily into hospitals because they were badly burnt or scalded by hot liquid; children could be burnt/ scalded even 15 minutes after hot liquids were prepared.

The prevention lies in putting down your baby when you are having hot liquids; also ensure that you do not pass these hot liquids over the head of the baby.  

3. It is found that every 1 out of 3 children get injured when crossing the road because they do not stop at the kerb or do not look on both sides of the road.

Adults should accompany young children when they cross the road; also children should be taught to stop at the kerb and also to look first left, then right and then left again before crossing the road.

4. It is best for parents to remember that child resistant capsules are not necessarily child-proof; children of 3-4 years could hurt themselves by consuming these pills, with them sometimes proving dangerous.

Preventing children from consuming these medications lies in keeping these medicines as well as the painkillers in your handbag in high cupboards and locking them.

5. Children especially toddlers and infant skin could be burnt/ scalded by hot tap water while bathing, requiring a visit to the hospital.

Ensure that you put the cold water first, topped up with the hot and test the water with your elbow. Testing with a bath thermometer would also help reduce the risk of the child being burned.

6. Be careful after you use hair strengtheners as they remain hot for 8 minutes after they are unplugged and could cause bad burns to your child.

Prevent bad burns to your child by lifting them off the floor or door handle and putting them high where young children cannot reach them. 

7. Children, especially toddlers and infants could be caught in blind cords and strangulated.

Prevent your child from being strangulated by tie blind cords back round the hooks to keep the loops away from the reach of children. It would also help to keep children’s beds, cots and highchairs away from the blinds on the window.

8. Your child, especially toddlers could have falls either from the window or stairs; with falling downstairs causing damage to the child’s brain and body and sometimes proving fatal.

Ensure that your window is fixed with a window lock that opens only unto 6 cm/2.5 inches. Also make sure your stairs has a stairs gate.

9. Toddlers could choke on food that is too big, even the size of a grape; with it also sometimes proving fatal. 

Ensure that you cut the food into small pieces before feeding/ letting him/her feed oneself.

10. Children could be killed within seconds by thick, black smoke coming from a fire that could fill your home in minutes.

Prevent it by getting every level of your house fitted with a smoke alarm and ensure its efficiency by regularly testing it.

I am sure responsible parents like you would definitely avoid these 10 things that hurt children and will take steps to avoid it.

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