Child Safety Hazards

Child Safety Hazards to Address in 2024

 Children are curious. They are at risk of injury as they learn to chew food, walk around the house, jump, read, and play new games. Minor injuries are common for most children. However, as a parent, you need to get rid of child safety hazards to create a haven for children. Children need a place to explore and learn without the risk of cuts, burns, broken bones, choking, or poisoning. 

Even as you take precautions to keep children safe, you must teach them basic home safety rules. This entails giving them essential information on electricity, appliances, and other elements in your home. Act out what you teach them, as they learn better through imitation. If, for instance, you want them to wear shoes when walking around the kitchen, have shoes too. Read on to learn more. 

Top Child Safety Hazards

How safe is your home for toddlers? You need to assess your home for child safety hazards by getting to the child’s level. While at it, consider the following dangers:

Choking Hazards 

Choking is common when babies and toddlers learn to chew. By 12 months, the baby may try to feed themselves. Some foods increase the risk of choking for babies. For instance, eating raw foods, whole grain dishes, and foods in specific sizes and shapes are choking hazards. To prevent choking in toddlers, cut food into small pieces that a child can serve without choking or mashing their food. 

Below are tips to prevent choking in children:

Choose What They Eat

Several foods are choking hazards. These foods include nuts, cherries with pits, hard candy, popcorn, raw carrots, celery, peas, apples and pears, watermelon with seeds, and sunflower seeds. The food can block a child’s windpipe, causing choking. Even soft foods such as cheese cubes, grapes, caramel, and hot dogs can cause choking if not cut into small pieces. Further, avoid spooning your child peanut butter and other foods that can stick in the mouth. 

Only feed your child pea-sized pieces of food until they can chew well. If you feed them meat and fish, remove the bones and mince the meat into easy-to-swallow pieces. 

Supervise the Child 

Keeping a keen eye on the child while eating will help you respond quickly if choking occurs.  Ensure the child remains seated, as choking risks increase with a child’s level of activity. Sit with the child as they eat and ensure they are not distracted enough to want to stand up. 

Choose Age-Appropriate Toys and Childproof Your Home

Toys and other small items around the house are child safety hazards. Get rid of broken crayons, batteries, marbles, small balls, safety pins, paper clips, push pins, coins, balloons, toys with small detachable parts, and jewelry.  Walk around the house, collecting any small items a baby will likely put in their mouth. Get on your hands and knees to see what a child sees and remove any items that can cause choking. 

Learn cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) so you can save your child in case of an emergency. An age-appropriate Heimlich maneuver can also help save a child. 

Child Safety Hazard

Electrical Hazards 

An average home boasts several electrical child safety hazards. As a parent, you must safeguard the house and make it a safe learning environment for children. Although your safety precautions make the home safe for children of all ages, the risks of electrical injuries are more significant when the child is younger.  

Before you get rid of child safety hazards, make your child understand the basics of electricity safety.  First, let them know that electricity can cause shock, burns, and even death. Next, teach them that water and electricity should not mix, as electricity passes through water, which can, in turn, pass through your body. Extension cords are child safety hazards that children should learn not to tamper with. 

  • To keep your home safe:  
  • Switch off appliances after use 
  • Manage extension cords and electrical wires so the child doesn’t have access to them
  • Keep extension cords away from gas cookers and other hot surfaces 
  • Keep small wires and pins away from the child to prevent them from plugging them into sockets 
  • Cover all sockets within a child’s reach  
  • Remove any wall outlets you do not need 
  • Store electrical appliances out of a child’s reach 
  • Fly kites and drones away from power lines near your home 
  • Prune trees near power lines and advise children to avoid climbing them 
  • Repair all damaged cords and appliances at home 

Child Safety Hazard

Falls and Injury Hazards 

Babies use their hands to reach before they learn to sit, roll, and crawl. After crawling, they pull up, walk along furniture, and finally walk. During the first two years of their lives, they face several child safety hazards. Children are curious and desire to climb on everything they can grasp. Most falls only result in minor bruises and bumps, but some may result in cuts, fractures, and concussions. 

Fall child safety hazards result from slipping, tripping, and stumbling on items on the floor. They may also result from equipment on their playground and play items such as skis, skateboards, and ice skates.  For children under four years old, falling from chairs is common.

The seriousness of injuries from falls depends on the height a child falls from, the nature of the surface they fall onto, and what they hit when they fall.  Heights over 1.5 meters are dangerous to children younger than five years old, while elevations above two meters are unsafe for older children. 

Here are some simple ways to prevent falls at home:

Toddlers

  • Create clear paths for the toddlers by removing rugs and electrical cords 
  • Remove tables and benches from their play area 
  • Use a safety gate to restrict access to the stairway
  • Pad sharp corners of tables 
  • Keep toys off cots that a toddler can climb on 
  • Place a mattress on the floor to protect your child from dangerous falls as they learn to climb out of a cot
  • Keep the floor dry at all times

Children 

  • Ensure bunk beds have a safe guardrail and warn children against playing in these beds 
  • Keep children under nine years away from the top bunk of beds 
  • Keep windows locked to ensure kids do not climb out 
  • Discourage kids from running while holding knives, glassware, scissors, and other sharp objects 
  • Remove tripping and slipping hazards from the kitchen and bathroom 
  • Use safety harnesses for  pushers, prams, and high chairs 

Consider slippery areas, glass and sharp objects, and balconies and windows when ridding the home of child safety hazards. 

Poisoning Hazards 

Children seem to always move toward danger. These children move quickly and may touch and taste chemicals you would think they are not interested in. Some of the typical child safety hazards at home include:

  • Household Cleaners – Cleaning agents such as rust removers, toilet bowl cleaners, and oven cleaners can cause chemical burns, gastrointestinal illnesses, and respiratory conditions. To protect your children, store all household cleaners out of reach of children. Do not leave a child unattended in a room where cleaning occurs. 
  • Lithium Cell Batteries – Batteries in remote controls and other devices can cause severe tissue damage and even death when ingested. Protect your child by keeping batteries in locked drawers or out of reach. Used batteries should be disposed of appropriately or recycled. Lastly, use tape to restrict the battery compartment of a remote control or other device.
  • Personal Care and Beauty Products – The average home has several beauty and personal care products, such as toothpaste, aftershave, face cleansers, makeup, and hair care products. Most beauty products contain alcohol, which can cause seizures, comas, and even death when ingested. Some, such as nail glue removers, may contain cyanide, which causes burns on the skin and mouth. These beauty products should be out of reach for children.
  • Medication – An overdose of prescription medicines can cause death. These medicines are child safety hazards and should be kept out of reach of children. When you bring medication home, please keep it in its original bottle or package and keep it away from food. When taking medicine at home, do it away from the child’s sight, as they may want to imitate your behavior. Further, avoid referring to medicine as candy, as kids might want to get a taste of it. 
  • Lead – Lead poisoning is common, with more than half a million children in the U.S being affected annually. The substance is too tiny to see and may be in water, air, soil, or on products such as toys and furniture. When ingested, lead can cause developmental delays and a reduced IQ. It can also affect the body’s endocrine, immune, and cardiovascular systems. Children can suffer from kidney, brain, and ear damage if exposed to high lead levels. Besides removing child safety hazards from the house, you must ensure children between 6 and 12 get screened for lead. 
  • Pesticides and Herbicides – Do you store farm chemicals at home? When ingested or inhaled, farm chemicals can cause damage to a child’s nervous and respiratory systems. As such, you need a lockable cabinet in your garage for these chemicals. 
  • Alcohol – No amount of alcohol is safe for a child. Drinking alcohol can result in seizures, comas, and even death. Keep alcohol out of reach of children.  

Other child safety hazards at home include hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, automotive fluids, and poisonous houseplants. 

Child Safety Hazard

Burns and Scalds Hazards 

Children are curious and love to explore the home and its surroundings. While at it, they do not know the child safety hazards around the house that can cause burns and scalds. Burns result from dry heat, such as flames and hot metals, while scalds result from hot liquids and steam. Children under four are more at risk of burns and scalds, but the danger only significantly reduces when a child is fourteen. 

Some of the causes of burns and scalds at home include:

  • Hot foods and drinks 
  • Hot saucepans 
  • Coal ashes and hot drinks
  • Friction from treadmills and other moving objects 
  • Steam and vapor from boiling water 
  • Matches and lighters  
  • Hot cooking fat or oil 
  • Running hot water from taps 

To keep children safe, treat every hot substance at home as dangerous as flames. Burns and scald injuries are common when a child is sick, tired, distracted, or in a hurry and is doing many things simultaneously. 

Most burns and scalds happen in the bathroom and kitchen. Here are some tips to prevent burns in these two rooms:

  • Keep bathing water temperatures between 37 and 38 degrees Fahrenheit 
  • Keep the child within arm’s reach when in the bath 
  • Use tempering valves or hot water shutdown devices to regulate the bath water temperature  
  • Never leave cooking food unattended when the kids are around 
  • Keep the baby a safe distance from you when you are drinking or eating something hot
  • Never leave children in the kitchen alone
  • Install guards on stove and oven knobs 
  • Turn the handles of saucepans towards the back of the cooktop 
  • Use cordless appliances where possible in the kitchen 
  • Switch off appliances not in use and empty hot water from kettles 
  • Give toddlers and children special cups so they are never tempted to drink from adult cups, which may contain hot liquids 
  • Use a childproof gate to restrict a toddler’s access to the kitchen when you are busy

Child Safety Hazard

Drowning Hazards 

Drowning is a common cause of death for people of all ages. However, babies and toddlers face a greater drowning risk. When left unattended, toddlers can drown in a bathtub with as little as one inch of water.  Around the home, you need to assess the safety of the bathtub, wading pools, swimming pools, buckets, and sinks. 

To keep your kids safe, you need to restrict their access to the bathroom and kitchen, keep an eye on them at all times, or drain water from the above areas and vessels. 

Prevent Drowning in the Bathroom

  • Keep an eye on your child while in the bathroom. If you must leave the bathroom, even briefly, bring the baby with you. 
  • Drain water out of buckets and other containers after use. 
  • Never leave the baby in the bathtub unattended 
  • Install a locking device on the toilet seat 
  • Keep the bathroom door locked 

Drowning in the Pool 

  • If there is a pool on your property, install a fence of at least five feet high with a self-closing gate 
  • Install a pool alarm or a cover over the pool 
  • After a swimming session, remove toys that children might try to recover 
  • Always supervise children when they play in the pool, even when they have flotation devices on 
  • Let a professional teach swimming lessons to the children 
  • If your pool is above the ground, remove ladders when the pool is not in use 
  • Teach children basic pool safety rules 

Learn cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and the Heimlich maneuver to save a child in case of an accident. Keep a first-aid kit at home with the necessary contents. 

Importance of child safety awareness 

Safety at home is essential for everyone. You enjoy several benefits by learning how to keep children safe at home. 

Minimize Accidents at Home 

Your child feels more comfortable at home than anywhere else. As such, you need to minimize the risks they face when playing and learning at home. Accidents and injuries at home can be costly in terms of time and money. Accidents and associated injuries leave people stressed and strained. Save your children from the pain, discomfort, and stress that come with injuries from different accidents. 

Make Home a Safe Place for Learning

Allow your kids to learn and explore their surroundings without worry. Children learn to crawl, walk, and learn in the first two years of their lives. When you let your kid explore their curiosity, a safe environment gives you peace of mind. After making your home safe, you can create a stimulating play space where kids get the entertainment they need while avoiding accidents. 

Allow Older Children to Supervise the Younger Ones 

When older children are aware of the dangers lurking in different child safety hazards, they take charge to protect the young ones. Teaching children about safety should be a fun experience for them. Choose exciting activities to show the potential danger of hot and sharp objects and other safety hazards. Repeat safety rules whenever you feel they are ignoring them and demonstrate safety behaviors. 

Keep Children Safe Outside the Home

Children will be safe when they visit friends by learning safety rules and adopting safe play and behaviors at home. Knowing that your child will stay safe even when they are away from home will give you peace of mind. 

Conclusion

A child needs to be free to explore in order to learn. As such, you are responsible for providing a safe environment without restricting your movements and play activities. You can do that by removing child safety hazards at home, setting safety rules, and teaching kids safe practices at home. You still need to learn basic first aid practices to save a life, stop bleeding, and relieve pain. Learning CPR, managing cuts and burns, the Heimlich maneuver, and managing choking and foreign bodies in ears and eyes will help you save a child. You may also need safety devices such as smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, non-slip mats, and fire extinguishers in your home

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top