There are a variety of hazards hidden in plain sight that could affect the health and safety of young children. These are things that are seemingly useful at home but underneath are potential hazards to kids. So, is your home safe for your children? Here are few things to consider:
Plastic bags
We tend to keep a lot of this at home for subsequent use however this is a suffocation hazard to kids. If their heads are caught in plastic bags and they do not successfully get it off, they might pass out due insufficient oxygen. Ensure they are not left around the home at “reachable” levels.
Trailing cables
Wires and cables that are connected across walkways are a trip hazard most especially to children when they run around the home. Ensure that walkways are free of cables and that you model what you want the child to do. Children watch us and act on what we do, not what we say. Therefore we cannot keep walking through cables and tell them to take alternative paths. It’s safer to ensure cables are not on walkways.
Medicine
Some medication smell tasty and look attractive. These sort unconsciously appeal to the senses of little kids. If no one is monitoring, this could lead to taking wrong medication or an overdose. Always keep medicine out of their “little” reach.
Cleaning fluids & insecticides
These normally come in fanciful and colourful containers making them attractive to children. They should therefore be kept away from the reach of kids, either at heights that cannot be reached or in closed compartments.
Floors
Some floor choices are just not appropriate for raising kids because they could lead to more severe injuries when they fall. Children always fall from time to time either trying to find their feet, playing or slips and trips. Floors chosen in the home should be such that even when a fall has occurred, the child gets away with minimum injuries. If a floor cannot be totally changed, floor coverings can be introduced to cushion the effects of falls.
Open Cabinets
Children have a tendency to hit their heads on open cabinets. As adults in the home, we need to maintain a habit of closing cabinets and compartments immediately after use. Sometimes the accident may occur from hitting their heads on the open compartment or the content spilling or falling out. We should child proof the cabinets too so that children do not open the cabinets themselves.
Lotions and Cosmetics
In bedrooms, there are lots of tubes containing all sorts of lotions and cosmetics: lip gloss, moisturisers, hair removal cream. It is important to keep them out of reach otherwise the health of your child could be compromised if they are ingested.
These things in themselves look harmless but when children are involved, things change. Keep your home safe by looking out for things that could cause potential harm. Keep keeping safe.
Image Credit: Google Images, @SafeKidsNigeria
