How to prevent injuries in children- What Are Child Safety Issues?
Childhood accidents are one of the leading causes of pediatric injuries and death. Many can be prevented by paying attention to certain safety issues.
Safety issues involve childproofing homes and vehicles to avoid major causes of injuries: burning, drowning, and poisoning. Care is also needed outside the home, during play and sports and in public places such as shopping malls.
What Causes Childhood Injuries?
Burns result from fire, hot water, and contact with electricity and chemicals. Males and children younger than 5 are at highest risk, especially from bathing injuries or hot liquid spills. Putting items into plugs, chewing on plugs or electrical cords, and risk-taking behaviors (in teens) can cause electrical burns. Acids (such as toilet cleaners) and alkaline agents (such as lye and bleach) can cause injuries by direct contact or swallowing.
Drowning is the second leading cause of accidental childhood death in the United States. It can also cause serious neurologic illness. Young toddlers and teens, more boys than girls, drown most often. Small sources such as bathtubs and buckets are dangerous to toddlers. Teens often drown during recreational activities such as boating.
Poisoning, frequently accidental, is one of the most common medical emergencies in young children and teens. Most often, household products (cosmetics, cleaning substances, painkillers) are to blame. The most lethal are usually related to medicines.
How Are Childhood Injuries Treated?
Treatment of minor burns involves basic first aid—running cool water over the area—but not ice, butter, or ointments. Doctors should treat more serious burns. Emergency services should be called for drowning victims. Poisoning treatments involve stabilizing children and getting rid of toxins, such as by flushing exposed eyes and decontaminating the stomach. All poisonings should be reported to local poison control centers, who can help parents initiate home management and facilitate care in the office or emergency room.
How Can Childhood Injuries Be Prevented?
Burn injury prevention includes measures such as lowering water heater temperatures, installing smoke detectors, and using flame-retardant sleepwear. Cover electrical outlets, and unplug irons when not in use. Teach children that flames, matches, lighters, and fireworks aren’t toys. Keep fire extinguishers handy, and teach children what to do for house fires.
Toddlers can fall into toilets, buckets, or fish tanks, and children can drown in just 1 inch of water. More than 80% of drownings may be prevented by closely supervising toddlers, fencing home pools, and teaching teens about water safety.
Simple ways to prevent poisoning include using child-resistant pill bottle caps. Store medicines, cleaners, and other dangerous substances in locked cabinets.
Other safety measures include teaching children how to cross streets safely and be careful about talking to strangers. Using car seats is crucial and reduces risks of death by 71% for babies and 54% for toddlers. Put these seats in back seats of vehicles facing the rear of the car until your child is old enough and weighs enough to turn the car seat to face the front (12 months and 20 pounds). Use booster seats until children are big enough for regular seatbelts.
DOs and DON’Ts in Child Safety:
- DOchildproof your home. Cover electrical outlets. Install safety latches and gates, in addition to door and drawer locks.
- DOsupervise young children closely. You can help prevent all kinds of injuries by watching children carefully.
- DOuse car seats and booster seats correctly. See www. seatcheck.org for tips.
- DOcall 911 for drowning emergencies and 1-800-222-1222 for poisonings.
- DOlock up all firearms in the house and keep all ammunition in a separate locked cabinet or safe.
- DOinstall smoke detectors on all floors of your home. Set the water temperature to 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
- DOsupervise children while bathing AT ALL TIMES.
- DON’Tleave dangerous substances or tools where children can reach them.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Contact the following source:
- American Association of Poison Control Centers
Tel: (800) 222-1222
Website:http://www.aapcc.org - The American Academy of Pediatrics
Tel: (847) 434-4000
Website:http://www.aap.org - Seat Check
Tel: (866) SEAT-CHECK
Website:http://www.seatcheck.org
