Safeguarding Your Home to Avoid Accidents in Children

Children are just as prone to accidents as adults are. This is true even though parents are in charge of handling dangerous objects like knives, etc.

In fact, an official Argentine entity states that, in Argentina, household accidents are the second biggest cause of death in children. Drowning, burns and falls were on the top of this list.

There’s no denying that household accidents are an ever present risk. In fact, many consider it to be an “epidemic.” 

It’s important to take proper precautions to help children avoid accidents at home.

Children and household accidents: Most frequent causes

Household accidents that cause the greatest number of injuries in children include the following:

1. Falls

Who hasn’t suffered some sort of fall or bump during childhood? It’s an unavoidable fact.

During the first years of life, children are just learning how to walk and control their own bodies.

Bruises, cuts and even fractures that come from falls can be everyday events. While they’re practically unavoidable, it’s still best to keep an eye on your children at all times. 

This is especially true while they’re playing outdoors, on uneven surfaces, or riding bikes.

2. Burns

This type of household accident can have serious consequences. Many burns occur as the results of children interrupting their parents while they’re cooking . 

It’s best to keep little ones out of the kitchen when cooking is going on. If that’s not possible, then you must keep a close eye on them at all times.

Also, if you have fireplaces or hot furnaces in you home, it’s best to keep your kids away from them. From an early age, children need to learn not to touch these surfaces.

3. Drowning

Fortunately, drowning isn’t among the most common household accidents. However, its consequences are fatal.

It’s important to keep two key suggestions in mind to avoid accidents related to drowning:

• First of all, never leave your child alone in the bathtub. Once your child is over the age of 4, then you may be able to step away.
• Secondly, make sure there’s not too much water in the tub when you do so.

At the same time, take extreme caution when it comes to swimming pools. Never leave your children alone in the pool.

Always keep a lifesaver nearby and, finally, place a safety fence around your pool to keep your child from falling in.

4. Poisoning and choking

It’s also important to consider the objects and products that children put in their mouths. 

Always keep toxic products, such as medications and cleaning products, out of your children’s reach. If possible, store them higher up.

At the same time, never allow your small children to play with plastic bags or small toys. Both are choking hazards if your children accidentally swallow them.

Recommendations for helping your children avoid accidents at home

In the kitchen/living room

• Don’t leave toxic items within your children’s reach.
• Always turn pan handles towards the back of the stove so children can’t reach them.
• Never leave fireplaces or hot furnaces unattended, and close any fireplace doors.

In the bedroom

• Make sure crib railings are safe and secure.
• Cribs should always be stable – we don’t recommend using cribs with wheels.
• Never leave bedroom or closet doors within reach, which could lead to your child (or you) being locked in.

In the bathroom

• Place non-slip pads on the shower or bathtub floor.
• Never leave hair dryers, curling irons, etc, within reach – especially if they’re plugged in.

In the rest of your home, you should also be careful with uneven surfaces, such as steps and ramps. Of course, you should also install blocked off stairways to keep your child from falling, and install railings. 

At the same time, make sure that floors aren’t too slippery, as this can also lead to falls.

Finally, be very careful when your little one is playing with toys. This is especially true with toys that contain small parts or batteries, which can be extremely dangerous if swallowed.

Never underestimate the importance of supervising your children to avoid accidents.

Many accidents in the home are preventable if an adult is nearby watching over children as they play.