The safety of the child happens to be the priority for a parent. They try to evade all possibilities of pain and injuries. But the fact is that parents can’t always be there to protect the child from all sorts of hazards that come in their lifetime. Kids are bound to get hurt, bruises, bumps, and no one can change the fact. A safe environment is indeed a dream for all, but it is not the reality. The most vulnerable stage to get hurt is when they are infants and toddlers as they lack balance and keep trying out new things. This is the time when we must supervise them, but we still can’t be there always, and despite the presence of parents, kids get injured. So, we cannot stop them from getting hurt or injured but be aware of the safety principles to minimize the occurrences.
Let us now study the four safety principles that all parents should be well informed about and they are enlisted as below:
1. Risk of Falls: Fall and injury prevention:
Falling and getting hurt is part of a child’s life. This is also one of the ways that they learn, yet getting injured badly is not good for the child, so we need to take care of a few steps and save the baby from getting badly injured.
- All the houses should have safety gates, especially when accessing the staircases at both bottom and top so that the babies do not fall in a steep manner.
- Never leave a child unattended when seated on a high chair or any carrier as they can fall very badly and get severely hurt. It is best to leave the carrier on a plane surface and not on any table or an elevated position as the baby can trip off. One should always secure the baby by properly buckling them.
- In case the baby is habitual to move in walkers, one should ensure that the baby does not try to access the staircase, hot appliances, or gadgets and, most importantly, stay away from electrical wires and circuits.
- The windows should always have security bars so that they do not fall.
- Falls and collisions with furniture are some of the major dangers your little one encounters with. All the furniture that is placed at high places should be secured so that it does not fall.
2. Toy Safety: Asphyxiation Prevention
Toys are indeed the baby’s best friends, and they spend a lot of time playing with them. Still, we should be vigilant and see what toys are being used by the toys. If they are safe, the size as too small ones, if chewed, can cause choking hazards. It is best to follow some preventive measures in this area as well, and they are:
- The toys should not have too small or mini-sized parts that could come out as babies always show a tendency to put the toys in their mouths. They may swallow small detachable parts by mistake.
- The finger foods given to the baby must not comprise of any hard nuts, sausages, grapes, candies, etc.
- All wires should be properly covered, and so should the cords be so that the baby does not try to access them as it can cause an electric shock to the baby.
- The baby’s crib, castle, toy gym, playpens, ball pits, etc. should always be placed at a great distance from any electrical appliance, wires, etc.
- Before letting a child play in any place, it is best to take a short walk to ensure there are no tiny pieces lying as the baby tends to put everything directly into the mouth.
3. Poison prevention: Handling Medication & Chemicals
It is very crucial to be able to prevent poison as it can have fatal results. The child can accidentally swallow something poisonous, spray, etc. Apart from preventing the child, one also needs to know the proper medication and care.
- It is best to keep all drugs and counterparts away from the reach of the child as consuming expired medicines, or any strong ones can pose a danger to the life of the baby.
- Always put locks at places where all hazardous chemicals, sprays, washing liquids, etc. are kept.
- Try and keep gadgets that use lithium cells away from the kids.
- In case the child swallows any dangerous thing, don’t try to make him vomit out forcefully without the consent of a medical practitioner.
- It is best to keep the number of the clinic or doctor saved in the mobile phone for any type of emergencies.
4. Childproofing: Indoor & Outdoor
Childproofing is always a mandatory step to ensure the safety of the child. There are many indoor childproofing tools available that prohibit the access of the baby to areas that are not safe for him, which have been discussed above. Let us have a look at the methods that can be used for childproofing outdoor as well so that the babies can enjoy and are safe.
Outdoor Childproofing
Playing outdoors is something all kids are fond of, and it is even good for the health since they get fresh air, and outdoor play also involves a lot of physical activity. So, let us have a look at some childproofing outdoor tips
- The baby should not be left unattended
- The baby should not have access to the streets
- Always keep the play area clean and get rid of any sharp tools and objects, trash, etc.
- In case the play area is near a pond, a busy street it should be properly fenced.
- Cover any open screws with caps or covers.
- Use S-shaped hooks for the swings so that the baby does not trip or fall.
Thus, it becomes significant to know that the parents cannot always be there as a protective guard for the kids, no matter how hard they try. It is natural and should be accepted that the child will end up getting hurt sometime in their life. But we can minimize the risk of something serious that could happen by inspecting the area and using childproofing methods far and large.
Source: https://www.beingtheparent.com/four-safety-principle-every-parent-should-know-about/
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