Babies and children

are our best hope for the future and our most

precious resource. Keeping them safe is top

priority and on that note, May is National Child

Safety Month.

Focusing on keeping

kids safe is a big part of what we do in the

Health Department - with immunizations to

prevent childhood disease, teaching proper

nutrition, testing for water purity and proper

sewage disposal, assuring proper restaurant food

handling, car seat checkups, and so on.

But do these

efforts assure a safe environment for our

children? Sadly, the answer is no. One of the

most dangerous places for children is their own

home!

Babies, toddlers

and children love to explore and experiment. So

what can be done to make homes safer for

children? Parents and care givers can take some

fairly simple preventive steps to improve the

safety of children at home:

Any cord will be

pulled or yanked, so using cord shorteners

(available at hardware stores) or placing cords

out of reach will remove temptation. Electric

cords should be bound together and placed behind

furniture. Mini-blind cords can strangle

children, so ends should be tucked up out of

reach or shortened.

Little

experimenters will test outlets at knee height,

so safety guards should be placed over outlets to

prevent injury from electrical shock.

Heavy lids, such as

those on pianos or chests, should have a few

pieces of resilient material (cork or thick felt)

glued on them to prevent them from lamming on

little fingers.

Heavy plants can be

pulled over by a determined toddler; if no injury

occurs at the least there will be a big mess.

Keep these plants out of reach.

High bookcases can

be top heavy or wobbly, and very tempting to a

potential mountain climber. Secure these to the

wall with shelf brackets.

Mysterious bottles

are also tempting household cleaning solutions

should be in a locked cabinet, or cabinet doors

should have childproof latches (very

inexpensive). Temporary measures may be taken

such as tying door handles shut.

Plastic bags should

be tucked away out of reach. Experimentation with

plastic bags, especially dry cleaning bags, cause

many child suffocation deaths each year.

Stairs are fun to

play on and children love to test their limits,

so safety gates are a must. Gates at top and

bottom are best, but if you only have one it

should be moved according to where the child is

at the moment.

Balconies are great

playgrounds for children, but pose a terrific

danger of falling. If the railings are far apart

enough for the child to slip through, three-foot

high plastic mesh should be stapled or tied to

the inside of the railing.

Door and window

guards are also a necessity; screen wire is not

enough to protect a determined child from falling

out, which takes only a second. Some local

governments require these guards.

Sliding doors pose

a danger because running children may not realize

that they are shut. Placing decals or decorative

tape on these doors can prevent a serious

accident.

Doors on medicine

cabinets should be locked. Inexpensive locks for

sliding doors are available in any hardware

store. Move any colorful or sweet-smelling soaps,

shampoos or medicines to higher ground; don't

underestimate the climbing ability of children,

which improves on a daily basis!

Bathtubs need

anti-slide decals or mats in the bottom; even

adults can fall. Children love to play in water

and are especially at risk to fall in the tub.

The spout needs its own cover, which can be

improvised with rubber hosing or purchased in any

local hardware store. Anti-scald devices should

be installed on the water heater, or the

temperature can be adjusted to a low setting.

Water that feels fine to adults can scald an

infant.

Buckets with

standing water pose a special danger to babies

and toddlers. Small children have

disproportionately large heads for their height;

if they fall headfirst into standing water in a

bucket they cannot get out and will drown in a

few inches of water. Never leave a bucket of

water unattended if there is a small child in

your home, and keep the lid down on the toilet as

well.

Test your automatic

garage door by closing it on a cardboard box. It

should automatically reverse as it touches the

box; if it does not reverse and crushes the box

it will do the same to a child trapped under it.

Keep door openers out of reach of children;

locking the car doors while in the garage is a

good idea too.

Buttons on door

openers and inside cars are far too tempting to

children.

Keep all dangerous

items in the garage inside a wire mesh pen. You

can build this by pulling a ten to fifteen foot

section of wire mesh into a cylinder; attach wood

strips to the ends of the mesh with staples (bend

back the sharp edges of the mesh); attach

eyebolts or screws to the boards and run a

padlock through the eyes of the bolts. This pen

will keep children out of harm's way.

Of utmost

importance is to teach fire safety! Teach

children to get out of the building and away from

the fire; practice fire drills and plan a meeting

place for everyone once out of the building;

don't stop to save any possessions; crawl close

to the floor if you are in a smoky room; don't

hide from the fire (it won't go away), and don't

hide from the fire fighters when they arrive.

Once out, call 911 from a neighbor's house.

A child's home

should be a place to feel safe and be safe.

Unfortunately, no one can guarantee safety 100

percent of the time, but implementing these

measures will certainly improve the odds for

children and their families. Child Safety Month

can be the start of a new, safe environment for

everyone!

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