Tips of The Season

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, home accidents account for about 2800 deaths each year among U.S. children.

As a parent, you cannot presume that your children are exposed to danger only when they are outside the home. The home is an equally dangerous place, especially for children below the age of 5. Parents must not only be vigilant when out with the kids, but also keep a close eye on them when at home. This is especially true for parents with mobile babies and toddlers that are keen on exploring their new environment. Home accidents occur very quickly and most of the time without warning. It is also most likely to happen when parents are in a rush, under stress or when there is a change in routine.

To beef up your children’s safety in the home, it is best to scan through the house and identify potential danger spots.

Here is a list of the most common home dangers:

Kitchen

You’ve heard of children being scalded by hot water or oil. This happens when children pull on pot handles that are sticking outwards. So make sure when you are cooking, turn all pot handles towards the back of the stove. Watch where you place your knives. Make sure they are out of your children’s reach. The same goes for bleaching liquids or detergents you store in your kitchen. Wires from electrical appliances should be either taped up or wound around roll-up cable organizers. While you are cooking, do not carry the baby or child. They could be splattered by hot oil or could cause you to lose your balance while handling hot pots and pans. Do not procrastinate wiping up food or water spills to avoid slipping and nasty falls. Children also love to open drawers and cabinet doors. Install child safety locks to keep them away from medicine and breakable things.

Living or Dining Room

If you have blinds, watch out for the long strings or wires. They can cause strangulation. Bundle the cords up and tape them high enough so children can’t play with them. Glass tabletops make a home look lovely but they are a hazard around young children. A wooden topped table is a safer option. Also don’t forget to pad the pointed corners of coffee tables and other furniture. Children love poking their fingers into electrical sockets. So hide them behind furniture or purchase some child-proof plug stoppers. De-clutter the stairs and install stairway gates to prevent falls. Hot drinks or bowls of hot soup should not be left near the edge of the table. Toddlers may reach up to grab them resulting in hot liquid spilled all over them. If you have babies that love to put things in their mouth, keep your floors clear of small objects. Also be wary of toys that may have small detachable parts or sharp broken points.

Bathroom

It’s a zany thing that children are naturally drawn towards water. Try not to keep water filled tubs, containers or pails. If you do, keep them covered and make sure the bathroom doors are always closed. There have been cases of children drowning when they fall in head first into a filled bucket. It is difficult for them to get out because they are top heavy. Never, ever leave a child below the age of five alone in the bathroom. If the phone rings while you are giving them a bath, let it be. If not, take the child with you. Children can drown in just 15cm of water. Hard to believe but it’s true. Another detail to look into is thoroughly rinsing away soap and shampoo. You definitely don’t want your child slipping around in there. A floor with algae is also slippery. So, scrub the floors often. Use bath mats and non-slip rugs in tubs. Again, latch drawers and cabinets that contain medicine or cleaning chemicals.

Bedroom

A baby cot is not a place to stock up on toys, pillows and blankets. Do not crowd the baby cot with such things as the baby may suffocate. Don’t leave your curling iron and hair straighteners lying around. Avoid beds that are high off the ground. It’s safer to have the mattress on the floor. Secure shelves and dressers to the walls. Children will not hesitate to use the drawers as ladder steps.

A common concern among parents with babies around 15-24 months old is their abounding energy to climb everything. The question often asked is “how do I stop them from climbing?” The answer is “you can’t” and “you should not.” It is part of their development. Instead, focus your effort on educating them on how to climb up and down safely. Teach them what they are allowed to climb (like a low stool) and what is off limits (like the dining table.) Seeing that children love to climb, high windows and railings must be secured. Also be careful of bookshelves, TV stands and cabinets that are top heavy. If they are not sturdy, they might topple over when your child tries to climb it.

There are many things parents can do to make their home a safer place. Be not ignorant nor careless. Be wary of the dangers lurking in your home and take the necessary steps to ensure your child’s safety.

Parenting is pretty much the toughest, most important job most people will ever encounter and yet there is no license required, no training required, and no 24/7 hotline to call for advice.

This is rather short-sighted on the part of society as the cost of bad parenting is immense, however in truth the situation is not as dire as it seems. While no training is required for new parents, it is very easy for parents to learn the ways and means of good parents as well as the traps and pitfalls of bad parents. All it takes for parents to learn more about parenting is to watch, listen, and learn.

Watching is a key element to learning more about parenting.

Watch the parents around you and you can learn all sorts of lessons about how to interact with your child, how to discipline your child, and how to teach your child. Almost everywhere you take your child there will be other parents and their children. Watching means observing but also listening. Hear the tone of voice as well as the words those parents use. Some parents use the right words but their tone and physical manner contradicts those words. Watch the children to note their response. Some children respond more readily to their parents. Why? What is different about that parent-child relationship? What can you take away for your own parent-child relationship?

Take advice from other parents you trust.

You don’t need to take every piece of advice that is offered to you. After all, there are many people who are free with advice and yet have clearly demonstrated they are in no position to offer it. However, there is often some really good advice shared by people you know and trust as well as good advice offered by passing strangers in the supermarket checkout line or in the stands at a soccer game. Be a sponge. Keep your ears open. You don’t have to take that advice but keeping your options open gives you the chance to sort out the jewels and benefit from them.
Be an active learner

Seek out information when you face a parenting challenge. Perhaps your child is acting out in a new way and your old discipline technique isn’t working. Search the internet, flip through parenting books, and ask some experts in your circle of friends. Sometimes great advice will come to you but other times you will need to seek it out. The more proactive you are about finding solutions to your parenting problems then the better parent you will become.

Parenting is a challenging job, no question about it, but it also comes with wonderful built-in rewards. Some times parents are forced to take a tough unpopular stand but in the end good parenting comes with its own rewards. Those rewards include a happy, successful child and a warm, loving relationship that will extend long past childhood and span the rest of your life.

If you watch, listen, and learn then you can be the parent you want to be and your child deserves.