Child Safety Tips and Resources

In the United States, over 9 million children have an initial emergency department visit for an unintentional injury every year. The statistics from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention Child Injury Report are sobering. Every parent must follow safety guidelines and take advantage of the available resources.

When your kid is not at home, you can easily check their location through GPS. A sim card for the smartwatch will let them make and receive calls on their gadget. Household safety is just as important, and it is actually the starting point. Discover the key guidelines below.

1. Household Safety

Your home is not a safe place for kids if you keep your medications or chemicals like detergents within their reach. Thousands of children in the US get accidentally poisoned in their own homes every year. Any cleaning supplies, drugs, paint, and garden chemicals must be stored up high or looked away.

Any medication, prescription or over-the-counter, must have childproof caps. Do not keep any drugs on your bedside table. Even vitamins and minerals like iron must be out of reach, as they may be hazardous. Finally, you should never use food containers for any medical or chemical substances.

2. Outdoor Safety

Kids love having fun outside, but this also requires precautions. To prevent injuries, do not leave your kids alone, and make sure they wear a helmet when using bicycles, skateboards, rollers cases, etc. Kids in strollers must be secured with safety straps.

Explain why playing near the road is dangerous, and that if your kids’ toys roll all into the road or driveway, they must ask for help. Any outdoor play areas must be fenced, particularly if they are located near a street, parking lot, railroad tracks, well, or pond. Install childproof latches on the gates, and keep them closed. The same applies to any barns, garages, and storage sheds in close vicinity.

3. Water Safety

For kids between the ages of 1 and 4, drowning is the leading cause of injury or death. Anybody of water, big or small, can be dangerous. Even buckets of water can pose a hazard if they are left unattended. Empty any containers with liquids after using them. Do not let your kids run near swimming pools, and explain to them that pushing or holding others underwater can have serious consequences.

Make sure your kids understand where the deep and shallow ends of a pool are, so they do not dive into the latter. They must be supervised by an adult while swimming. This person must be familiar with CPR, and they must fully touch the kid when they are in or around water — even in a kiddie pool (if it is an infant, toddler, or young child). Kids must wear a life jacket when swimming or sailing.

Awareness Activities at Home

Print out these tips and review them with your kiss and other family members. Post them in some central location at home. You may also print out checklists, infographics, and safety tip sheets from platforms like Safe Kids Worldwide. The organization also provides fun online activities for children. Read protection-themed books to your kids, and create a safety plan and emergency preparedness kit. They must be accessible and visible at all times.

Share Resources

The main tips and tools for safety must be accessible to any parent, educator, caregiver, and community member. Share the resources with other members of the community. Post them at schools and childcare centers. Churches, apartment buildings, and any other places where parents usually gather are suitable.

Contribute to making your neighborhood a safer and cleaner place. Start by cleaning your own indoor and outdoor spaces. Invite your relatives, friends, and neighbors to participate in a community cleanup day. Remove clutter and other hazards to make the area safe for kids, so they can play and explore the world.

A cleaner neighborhood can also help deter crime. Flowers, freshly painted houses and loans are not only pleasing to the eye. They provide fewer places where strangers can hide.

If there is an abandoned building nearby, work collectively to do some fixing of its exterior. Finally, make sure the lighting on the street and in your apartment building is in order. Turn on your porch lights in the evenings, and encourage your neighbors to do the same. Install motion sensor lights in the back of the house and on its sides, so your kids are always visible when they go outside at night.