Beware of dangers at home when your sweetheart is around!

Injuries from Sharp objects and doors 

1. Careful planning in the placement of furniture can prevent many of the accidents that involve children falling out of windows and from balconies. Never play with babies or children near open windows, on balconies or terraces. Also ensure that you have grills or bars installed on all window frames, and that the child’s head and neck cannot get struck in them.

2. Make sure that proper guards restrict access to the stairs till the child is able to navigate them safely.

3. Children playing hide and seek should not be allowed to hide in open cupboards lest they lock themselves in.

4. Door handles of bathrooms should be at a higher level so that a small child cannot lock herself in. Also ensure that if the child accidently locks herself in the room or bathroom you have some means to enter the room.

5. Also be careful while closing and opening room doors or car doors. Severe injuries can be caused to fingers being caught between doors if we are not curious enough.

6. Sometimes, we do not realize that sharp objects like knives, scissors and blades lying around the house can be dangerous for our kids.

7. Cords on curtains or window blinds can be dangerous. If a child puts them around their neck while playing. It can be fatal. 

_{Source: lenews.ch}

Suffocation

1. Plastic shopping bags  lying around the house can prove hazardous. An infant or a toddler playing with a bag may put it on his head and then not be able to remove it.

2. Small children can also choke on the scraps of balloons that have burst.  Peanuts tamarind seeds, buttons and beads are often aspirated by unwary infants and toddlers or get pushed into their nostrils. A child may also choke on a thin, raw carrot that he has bitten off. Never allow a toddler to have food like nuts while he is playing, talking, laughing or running around because he is more likely to choke on them.

3. There is also a possibility of suffocation when a child tries to put a rope around another’s neck, or when he tries to wear a tie around his own.

4. Infants do not need pillows to make their heads rounded or for any other reason. If you want to raise a child’s head, put the pillow under the mattress. I am in favor of small infants sleeping with the parents. I have never seen a baby crushed because of this. However, if the mother is drowsy because of some drugs or alcohol, then the child should not be made to sleep with her.

5. May I also add that I am against an umbrella-type device to protect an infant from mosquito bites, because this may close automatically and suffocate the child?  A net covering the whole bed is preferable.

Swallowing Undesirable Objects

Smaller children should not be allowed to handle coins and small objects like safety pins and needles. Small round objects without sharp edges may smoothly pass out of the stomach and intestines, but others may get stuck and cause problems. 

Unsafe Toys

Infants and toddlers should not be allowed to play with games or toys having small parts that they can swallow or aspirate, some parts of Lego, for instance, may not be safe. Watch out also for stuffed toys with buttons used for the eyes or the nose, which can get detached and be swallowed. Toys with sharp edges could cause injury. Even expensive toys may not always be safe.

_{Source: usnews.com}

Children are often inspired by teleserials like Ramayana and Mahabharata to play with bows and arrows, which can lead to major eye injuries. Some toy guns available in the market also release dangerous projectiles.

Only toys that meet the Bureau of Indian Standards specifications should be available for sale. I have noticed that toys mad by village craftsmen from unpainted wood or mud are often (though not always) quite safe.

Flying kites is fun, but quite a few children cut their fingers (or even neck) on the sharp thread used for flying the kites. Similarly, it is not uncommon to see children forgetting all safety measures while running around in a street or on a terrace to catch a kite, caution your child against this!

_{Source: wowsumitra.com}

I am against walkers; they are not good for the sequential development of the child’s milestones and can also result in serious injuries.

Source for banner image: codenamemama.com 

_{Source: Book – Guide to Child Care by Dr R K Anand}

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