Children need to be free to explore their world and our job as parents is to create an environment where they can do this safely.
DRIVEWAYS – A dangerous and often overlooked area of the home is the driveway. Driveway accidents lead to about four deaths per year in under 5’s and every two weeks on average a child is hospitalised with serious injuries. Always know where any children are before you drive off. Check for children before you get in the car, always supervise children around vehicles and separate play areas from driveways.
POISONING – Another thing to be absolutely vigilant about is poisoning. Keep all medicines, chemicals and cleaning products in their original containers, up high where children can’t reach. Never use food or drink containers to store poisons.
Ask for child resistant caps for medicines and make sure these are done up tightly. Follow dosage instructions carefully, and with chemicals, read instructions and safety advice. Always return medicines to a high cupboard straight after use. Think about what might be in the bags of visitors too; many pills look suspiciously like lollies and can be tempting for children. And keep the phone number for the National Poison Centre handy – 0800 POISON/ 0800 764 766.
DROWNING – Around 15 children drown in New Zealand on average each year. This happens in obvious places such as baths and spa pools, but also in farm troughs and ponds. The reality is children are at risk of drowning even in shallow water, so they must always be supervised near water. When infants and babies are in the bath, maintain hand contact and never leave them alone. Children drown quickly and silently.
Data sourced from Safekids New Zealand, 2010.
For more information, visit Safekids, the national child injury prevention agency at www.safekids.org.nz
A whole new world opens up around six months when babies begin to eat solids. Any time from around five months, babies will push themselves up onto their knees and begin to crawl.