The shocking truth about kids accidents, and ten ways to avoid them

Now, I don’t like to create alarm, and this post is certainly not intended to do this at all.

What we are trying to do is raise awareness of how easy it is for:

a) A child to have an accident in the home, and most importantly,

b) Prevent those accidents with our kids.

That is not to blame anyone that has experienced situations like these; accidents DO happen no matter how vigilant we are. I speak from experience, having had my little four month old boy stick his hand in my very hot soup at a playgroup once…. He had to pick then to learn to lean forward when he had NEVER done it before. We don’t call him Stuntboy on the blog for nothing you know :-D

We all know what kids are like. Take your eyes off them for a minute and they’re up to something they shouldn’t be; usually when everything goes quiet, we all know there are plans afoot.

Unfortunately though, not many people know the shocking fact that it is accidents that are the second biggest cause of heartache to families here in the UK when children sadly die as a result of them.

So the Child Accident Prevention Trust has given us ten top tips to help keep your little ones safe at home – without wrapping them in cotton wool. Some you may already know, but others you may find more surprising…

1. If you love your locks poker straight, remember tongs can burn more than just your carpet. Even when they’ve been switched off for 15 minutes, straighteners can be hot enough to give a kid a nasty burn.
2. E-cigarettes are great if you’re a mum trying to give up smoking. But remember that the levels of nicotine inside them is highly toxic to kids – if they swallow just one drop it can be fatal.
3. Don’t get annoyed when your smoke alarm goes off at the slightest whiff of burning toast. It’s good because thick black smoke can spread quickly, killing a child in seconds. These alarms really do save lives.
4. You know those little button batteries you get in watches and other gadgets? They look harmless. But if a child swallows one, the chemicals inside can burn through their throat and lead to internal bleeding. 
5. Blind cords have sadly been in the press a lot recently, so there’s no harm in reminding everyone to keep kids’ bedroom furniture away from them. It only takes 20 seconds for a child to die from strangulation if they get caught up in a blind cord.
6. Every day 50 under-fives are rushed to hospital after a fall. If your toddler is exploring, fit stair gates and check they’re secure. Also, use locks or restrictors so your little one can’t open a window too wide.
7. We all know about keeping plastic bags away from kids and babies. But what about nappy sacks? Best keep them stored safely away – and never under the cot mattress.
8. Liquitabs. They’re bright and squeezable, which makes them irresistible to little explorers. But the concentrated liquid inside can be very harmful if swallowed. Again, best keep them well out of reach.
9. Remember ‘Child Resistant’ isn’t ‘Child Proof’. Child resistant lids can slow kids down, but some 3-4 year olds can open them in seconds.
10. A hot drink can still burn a baby or toddler 15 minutes after you’ve made it. So keep your cuppa out of your little person’s reach.

The Child Accident Prevention Trust is a small charity on a big mission to reduce the number of children killed, disabled or injured in preventable accidents.

To raise awareness of this issue VCCPme have just released a fun film. They gave £5 to lots of children and told them they can spend it on whatever they want. Or donate it to charity. Watch the film, see what the kids said and donate at www.capt.org.uk/FiveQuidKids

This definitely made me smile, and we hope that it will do you too.

 Photo credit: Sura Nualpradid and David Castillo Dominici / Freedigitalphotos.net

Helen

Helen is a mum to two, social media consultant, and website editor; and this site is (we think) the only Social Enterprise parenting magazine! Since giving up being a business analyst when juggling travel, work and kids proved too complicated, she founded KiddyCharts so she could be with her kids, and use those grey cells at the same time. KiddyCharts has reach of over 1.1million across social and the site. The blog works with big family brands (including travel) to help promote their services, as well as offering free resources to parents of kids under 10. It gives 51%+ profits to Reverence for Life, who fund a number of important initiatives in Africa, including bringing running water and basic equipment to a school in Tanzania. Helen has worked as a digital marketing consultant (IDM qualified) with various organisations, including Channel Mum, Truprint, Talk to Mums, and Micro Scooters. She loves to be creative in the brand campaigns she works on. Get in touch TODAY!

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