Avoiding Baby & Child Accidents

Your child’s health and safety is your number one concern. But children are naturally curious; in their world there’s always something interesting to climb up or somewhere new to explore. At times this curiosity can lead to accidents. To help protect your child here are some tips for childproofing your home and what to do if your child has an accident:

Protect your child at home

• Keep halls and stairways well-lit and free from clutter	• Always use your cooker’s back ring or hotplate and position panhandles so that they can’t be pulled
• Never leave babies unattended on changing units	• Use safety gadgets for plug sockets, videos, drawers and cupboards
• Keep hot drinks out of reach of children	• Make sure electrical cables and wires are well-hidden
• Use fireguards	• Clean up spills in the kitchen right away so children don’t slip over
• Keep medicines and household chemicals out of sight and reach of children	• Run cold water into the bath before hot and carefully test the water temperature
• Never leave children unattended in the bath

What to do if your child has an accident

• Try to keep calm	• Quickly examine the child for injury, without moving them
• If they are unconscious, put them into the recovery position	• If your child is bleeding, has lost consciousness (even if only briefly), has major injuries, possible abdominal injuries or may have inhaled smoke, call for urgent medical help
• Remember, if in doubt, check it out – never hesitate to take your child to a hospital if you’re worried

For more information please contact your local GP.