CHILD SAFETY
— ACCIDENTS SHOULDN'T HAPPEN

Unfortunately accidents do happen, and they are most likely to happen in children. Every year some 600,000 children aged from a few months to 4 years are hurt badly enough at home to have to go to hospital. But the child in your care doesn't have to be one of them. The sad fact is that most of these accidents are preventable.
The world looks a very different place when you are only a few feet high. Not only is everything big, it's also exciting. The child wants to explore - to touch, to taste and to smell. The child doesn't know what is dangerous. You do.

Avoiding Falls

• Teach children to put toys away: being tidy will reduce the risk of falls to themselves and others.
  
• Fit all windows safety locks (but keep the keys in a secure place in case of fire).
  
• Never put a baby bouncer on a table or chair - keep it on the floor.
  
• Always use a full safety harness on a highchair or pushchair, even if it's for a moment, an injury takes only seconds.

Avoiding Scalds and Burns
A child's skin is much more sensitive than an adult's - it's surprising how far a little drop of hot water can spread and how much damage it can do. Doors on ovens and even on washing machines can get hot enough to burn a child. So can the sun, often with long lasting effects (see factsheet on sun protection for babies and toddlers).

• Use a coiled flex on your kettle to stop it dangling. Water in kettles stays hot enough to scald a child for up to an hour after boiling.
  
• Put the iron away after use and never leave the flex dangling.
• Use the back rings on your cooker and keep the saucepans handle turned inwards.
  
• Don't hold hot drinks with a child on your lap...or carry them over a child's head.
  
• Always put cold water in the bath first, then hot.
  
• Use a full sized fireguard over a gas, electric or open fire (small fingers can reach through an ordinary wire grille).

UNDER 3 YEARS Children need protecting from burns and scalds at all times - they don't understand the dangers.
ABOUT 3 - 7 YEARS They can learn that some things may burn or scald. Set an example wherever you can by wearing oven gloves, putting pans on the back rings of the cooker etc.

Avoiding Choking and Suffocation

• Keep buttons, coins and small toys away from the under-threes - they may choke on them.
• Make sure older children's toys with small pieces are kept away from younger children.
• Don't let any child under six eat peanuts. If accidentally breathed in, small nuts can cause pneumonia.
• Keep plastic bags away from all children.
• Avoid clothes with ribbons or ties around the neck - they can snag and pull tight enough to choke.
• Do not give babies under 1 year old pillows or cot duvets. They may suffocate.

What to do in an Emergency

BURNS & SCALDS:

• Immediately run cold water over the burn for at least 10 minutes. DO THIS STRAIGHT AWAY.
  
• Once cooled, remove clothing from the burned area as burned skin can swell and, if it still hurts, cool again with cold water.
  
• Cut around material sticking to the skin - DO NOT PULL OFF AS THIS MAY DO MORE DAMAGE TO THE SKIN.
  
• Don't touch the burn or burst any blisters.
  
• Cover the burn with cling film to protect it from getting infected.
  
• Go to hospital unless the burn is very small.
  
• Never rub butter, oil or ointment on to a burn.

CUTS & WOUNDS:
(See factsheet on wounds)

POISONING:
(See factsheet on pesticides, poisons and medicines)

CHOKING:

• Bend the child forward, with head well down, and give up to five back slaps between the shoulders.
  
• Check the mouth and remove any obvious obstruction. Do not waste time feeling blindly down the throat.
  
• Get help by dialling for an ambulance.

FALLS & HEAD INJURIES:

• Don't move the child unless you have to. He/she may have broken bones or internal injuries.
  
• Never leave an unconscious child unless you have to.
  
• Don't give a child anything to eat or drink after a fall if you think he might need an anaesthetic.
  
• If the injury looks serious, or you don't know what's wrong, call for an ambulance.

It is advisable to have a standard first aid pack in the Nursery. Check the items for expiry and replace used items.

Always consult with a doctor