Child safety in the home

Around 80% of child injuries occur in or around the home according to the Child Accident Prevention Foundation of South Africa. As parents, we worry about the dangers our children may encounter when we aren’t around to protect them. But keeping our children safe starts in the home.

You may have put a lot of energy into baby-proofing your home, but have you updated your safety measures as your kids have aged? If you haven’t, you’re certainly not alone.

We have compiled sets of easy tips and tricks that are designed to help you bring safety back into your home and protect your little ones from accidents, injuries and even death. But first, let’s look at what the dangers are.

Play safe: Toys, sports, art supplies and playgrounds are created for children, so we naturally assume they must be safe for our kids. This isn’t always the case though and many preventable injuries result when we expose our children to toys and equipment that are not age-appropriate, do not provide proper protection, are toxic or hazardous and are poorly maintained or badly positioned.
Water safe: Drowning is a serious problem in South Africa and the second highest cause of accidental death among children. These incidents are almost always silent when children are involved and take as little as 30 seconds. And it’s not just the swimming pool we need to worry about. In fact, ChildSafe says a child can drown in only 4cm of water.
Burn safe: With their delicate skin, children are more prone to being seriously injured from a burn than adults are. Protecting our children from burns means looking beyond the threat of open flames. Parents also need to consider hot liquids, foods and steam, electrical fires and devices and appliances with hot surfaces such as heaters, stoves and irons.
Poison safe: We keep many substances in and around our home that are toxic and could even be deadly to our children. In addition to household cleaning agents, thought needs to be given to the storage of medication and vitamins, cosmetics, alcohol, poisons and pesticides, flammable liquids, pool chemicals and home maintenance substances such as paint and varnish, as well as poisonous plants, fruit and fungi like mushrooms and toadstools.
Accident safe: Falls and scrapes are a part of childhood, but steps should be taken to prevent serious injuries and trips to the emergency room. Every area of the home, inside and out, should be assessed for possible threats to your child, including dangerous items such as knives and loose cables, suffocation and choking risks, unsecured heavy furniture and appliances, and structures that could result in major falls and accidents.