To learn more about how the programs the McKean County Family Centers offer focus on prevention, check out the Reports pages.
Darlene’s son is getting more mobile by the minute and everywhere she turns
she sees an accident waiting to happen.
Good for Darlene. Accidents are the fifth leading cause of death among
infants under the age of one and the leading cause for older children.
Parents need to be aware of household dangers, and do something about them.
Most accidents are preventable. Most precautions are little more than
common sense.
Never feed a baby large or hard pieces of food. Don’t allow any object that
can be swallowed whole near your baby. Avoid propping up a bottle or
feeding your baby in bed. And learn how to come to the aid of a choking
baby.
When in the car, always use an approved car seat or restraint.
Cribs and playpens can be dangerous if their slats are wide enough that a
baby’s head can fit through. The slats should be no more than 2 3/8 inches
apart.
Balloons, pillows, plastic bags, and strings or cords can suffocate a baby.
Keep them away from baby, crib, and playpen.
If you smoke, don’t around your baby.
Keep your baby away from hot objects and liquids, such as your coffee.
Keep your baby out of the kitchen when you’re cooking.
Lower the water temperature in your house to 120 to 130 degrees. Always
test it before putting your baby in the tub.
Insert blind plugs into all unused electrical sockets.
Babies can easily fall from a bed, changing table, chair, and down a set of
stairs. Don’t leave your baby out of your touch or unrestrained in such
situations.
During bathtime, always keep one hand on your baby. And be careful – a wet
baby can be amazingly slippery and squirmy. Never leave your baby alone
in the bath or near a swimming pool, toilet, or even a water bucket.
Poisons, medicines, paints, cleaners, and other harmful liquids and
substances should be out of a baby’s reach. They should be on a high shelf
or stored in cabinets secured by child-proof locks. Have a bottle of syrup
of ipecac available to induce vomiting in an emergency, but only if
instructed by a doctor or poison-control center. Keep the poison-control
center phone number handy.
Most accidents can be prevented with a little common sense. But you can’t
prevent all of them. Take precautions, but leave room for play, fun, and
life.
This column is written by Robert B. McCall, Co-Director of the
Office of Child Development and Professor of Psychology, and is provided as a
public service by the Frank and Theresa Caplan Fund for Early Childhood Development
and Parenting Education.