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Home safety - children

Staying Safe In and Around the Home

Most American children live healthy lives. Car seats, safe cribs, and strollers help protect your child in and near the home. Yet, parents and caregivers still have to be careful and cautious. Explain certain dangers to children. This can help them understand why and how they can stay safe.

All teens and adults should learn CPR.

Poisoning

Teach your child about poisons that may be in the home or in the yard. Your child should know about not eating berries or leaves from unknown plants. Almost any household substance, when eaten in large enough amounts, can be harmful or poisonous.

Only buy toys that say non-toxic on the label.

In the home:

If you suspect poisoning or have questions, contact the American Association of Poison Control Centers:

Preventing Falls

Always keep one hand on an infant who is lying on a changing table.

Place gates at the top and bottom of each stairway. Gates that screw into the wall are best. Follow the manufacturer's safety instructions.

Teach your child how to climb up the stairs. When they are ready to climb down, show them how to go down steps backwards on their hands and knees. Show toddlers how to walk down steps one step at a time, holding on to someone's hand, a handrail, or the wall.

Injury due to falls from windows can occur from even a first or second story window as well as from a high-rise. Follow these simple suggestions:

Tips for avoiding falls from bunk beds include:

Firearms

Keep guns locked up and unloaded. Guns and ammunition should be kept in locked containers and stored separately.

Never claim you have a gun with you just as a prank. Never say, even as a joke, that you are going to shoot someone.

Help children understand the difference between real guns and weapons they see on TV, movies, or video games. A gunshot can permanently injure or kill someone.

Teach children what to do when they come across a gun:

Choking

Keep your child safe by taking action to prevent choking.

Learn how to perform abdominal thrusts to dislodge an object a child is choking on.

Window cords are also a danger for choking or strangulation. If possible, do not use window coverings that have cords that hang down. If there are cords:

Suffocation

To prevent accidents involving suffocation:

Burns

Take precautions when cooking to prevent burns.

Other tips to prevent burns include:

Safety When Outside

Check playground equipment for signs of deterioration, weakness, and damage. Keep an eye on your child around the playground.

Teach children what to do if strangers approach them.

Teach them at an early age that no one should touch private areas of their bodies.

Make sure children know their address and telephone numbers as early as possible. And teach them to call 911 or the local emergency number when there is trouble.

Make sure your child knows how to stay safe around cars and traffic.

Important tips for safety in the yard include:

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. Child passenger safety. www.cdc.gov/child-passenger-safety/about/?CDC_AAref_Val=https://www.cdc.gov/injury/features/child-injury/index.html. Updated March 1, 2024. Accessed June 18, 2024.

HealthyChildren.org website. Poison prevention & treatment tips for parents. www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/all-around/Pages/Poison-Prevention.aspx. Updated September 6, 2021. Accessed July 19, 2023.

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development website. About home safety. www.hud.gov/program_offices/healthy_homes/healthyhomes/homesafety. Accessed July 19, 2023.


Review Date: 7/1/2023
Reviewed By: Charles I. Schwartz, MD, FAAP, Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, General Pediatrician at PennCare for Kids, Phoenixville, PA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
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