Survival Safety
Keeping them SAFE
For every parent, keeping our children safe is our paramount concern. With the onset of spring and the Easter and summer holidays, here are some timely safety reminders to keep them safe indoors, onlineand outside.
Have a safe spring clean A good spring clean out a great way to get rid of un- wanted toys and junk also gives you the opportunity to give the house a good scrub. However, if you are doing the spring clean with young children around, you need to take care when using cleaning products. Accidental poisoning is a particular problem for the under fives – they make up over two-thirds of all hospital admissions for accidental poisoning among children under 15. Every day 20 young children are admitted to hospital with suspected poisoning. Household products are very dangerous as almost 6 children under 15 years old each day in the UK admitted to hospital with suspected poisoning from household products. Young children develop rapidly and learn new skills all the time. And they are intensely curious about the world around them. But they have little or no understanding of the danger of putting things in their mouths. Poisoning often happens when young children take their parents or carers by surprise. All too often, parents are caught-out, as they didn’t know their child could crawl, shuffle or climb and reach potentially dangerous substances. How many times have you heard: “She learns so quickly!” or “I didn’t realise he could do that yet”. That’s why it’s so impor- tant to keep any cleaning products out of sight and reach of children.
Parents can also be lulled into a false sense of security as they believe the child is safe if there is a child-resistant cap on the product. Up to one in five children under 52 months can open a child-resistant top. Child- resistant caps are never childproof and besides, many household detergents such as liquitabs (dishwasher and laundry detergent pouches) are not available in child- resistant packaging. Be especially aware of liquitabs as they are bright and attractive to children who can mistake them for sweets.
Key safety messages for
your spring clean The key safety message is to keep all household chemicals out of sight and out of reach of young children.
● Store harmful products on a high shelf or in a cupboard with a child-resistant safety catch.
● If you can, keep them in a room where there is usually an adult present, like the kitchen.
● Remember, a toddler will climb up to reach something that looks interesting.
● Look for child-resistant tops as they slow children down. But don’t rely on them – child-resistant does not mean child-proof.
● When you’re trying to persuade a reluctant toddler to take their medicine, never pretend that it’s a sweet.
● Try not to take tablets or medicine in front of young children, as they may try to copy you.
● Don’t leave bleach and toilet cleaner by the side of the toilet, or liquitabs under the kitchen sink.
FIRST AID ADVICE
If you suspect a child has swallowed some- thing poisonous there are three main things to remember:
1 2
3
Don’t make the child sick or give them anything to eat or drink, as this can make things even worse.
Get medical help immediately. If the child is unconscious, being sick, having fits, feeling very sleepy or has burning to their mouth, call 999 immediately for an ambulance or take them to A&E.
Remember to take the package or bottle with you if you go to hospital.
● Look for household products that contain a bitter- ing agent such as Bitrex – this makes them taste really unpleasant so children will spit them out.
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