Safe Kids Watch Vol 8 2015

Laundry
To keep children safe and
free of injuries in the laundry:
Keep the door closed or use
a safety gate (half door) in the
doorway.
To avoid the risk of drowning,
keep buckets of water off the
floor and cover with a lid.
Keep cleaning products in
a locked cupboard out of
reach of children.
Living/family room and
bedroom
To ensure a safe sleeping
environment for babies, lay
them in their own sleeping
area without blankets,
bumpers or pillows. Parents
can share the same room but
not the same bed.
Provide children with a safe
play space in the living area.
Store toys in a ventilated
toy box with holes to avoid
suffocation, and a slow
closing latch to prevent
finger jams. Install fingerjam
protectors and doorstoppers
to both the hinge
side and the opening side
of doors to prevent serious
finger injuries.
In Australia, an estimated four
children per week present
to a hospital emergency
department with an injury
related to a button battery.
Many remote controls and
other electronic items in
the home have battery
compartments that are
easy to open. Parents may
be unaware of the risks
associated with coin-sized
lithium button batteries. These
batteries cause severe
injuries when swallowed, as
they may get caught in the
throat and burn through the
oesophagus in as little as two
hours. In extreme cases, the
batteries can cause death.
Children under five years are
at greatest risk.
Do not allow young children
near home gym equipment
such as weights, treadmills
and exercise bikes. Place
these items in a separate
room or use safety gates
to keep children away
from these items. Before
you purchase a treadmill,
research which models
provide protective covers
to prevent little fingers and
hands getting caught. Check
that the machine has a safety
stop switch to disable it
quickly in case of an injury.
Before using the treadmill,
ensure children cannot reach
or touch the machine.
Windows
Windows play a vital role
in home safety, ensuring a
second way out of a room in
an emergency situation such
as a fire. However, windows
can also pose a risk to young
children.
To prevent a fall injury from a
window:
Keep windows closed and
locked when children are
around.
Don’t rely on insect screens
to prevent a fall.
Arrange furniture and shelves
away from windows to
prevent children climbing
and opening a window.
Make sure nothing is
blocking or preventing a
window from opening in
case of emergency.
The importance of first aid
Injuries involving children
can occur as families go
about everyday activities.
Are you confident you know
what to do for your child if
faced with a life threatening
emergency? Would you
know what to do if you
discovered an infant face
down in a pool of water?
Could you confidently revive
a child, or would you know
how to adequately manage a
child with scalds from cups
of tea and coffee or boiling
water, or a flame burn?
For more information on
paediatric first aid courses
visit www.rch.org.au/
safetycentre
For a complete list of
safety features throughout
the home, refer to The
Royal Children’s Hospital