Keeping Kids Safe: A Pediatrician’s Top Tips
As a pediatrician, I know many everyday items’ dangers for small children. As a parent, I know it’s impossible to prevent every accident. Kids are curious, fast, and inventive. This list is not exhaustive but is a good place to start in measures to keep your kids safe.
CHOKING AND INGESTIONS:
I often tell parents that anything small enough to slip through a toilet roll tube is a potential choking hazard. It’s a simple rule that can save lives. Some specific items are particularly scary and warrant attention:
Button Batteries: Remove them from your home if you have little kids. Now. It only takes a moment of curiosity for a child to ingest one. If you suspect your child swallowed one, even if you aren’t sure, go straight to the ER, preferably one with pediatric specialists on hand. Button batteries start to corrode almost immediately and can cause perforation (holes) of the esophagus and other structures.
Magnets: Banish small magnets from your home. Just do it. If you know or even suspect your child may have swallowed a magnet, go straight to the ER. Multiple magnets can attract each other in the intestine, leading to rapid damage and even death of large sections of the intestine. It just isn’t worth the risk.
Detergent Pods: These are incredibly dangerous if ingested. Detergent doesn’t typically taste good, so kids will usually take a bite or two and stop. But with a pod, they can ingest a full dose in 1 swallow, increasing the danger.
Coins: It will be the most expensive quarter you ever own once it’s removed.
Round Foods: Grapes and hot dogs are the perfect size and shape to obstruct a child’s airway. Be vigilant and slice them into noncircular smaller sections for children.
Balloons: While balloons may seem harmless when deflated they are a common item seen in choking incidents. Always supervise play with balloons.
Older Siblings: They may not share toys, but older siblings often share their tiny foods, like nuts with babies and toddlers.
Cords: There are products to keep blind and shade cords out of reach. Kids will wrap anything around their necks.
Plastic bags: Just never a good idea.
Medicines, cleaning products, etc: Lock it up. Lock it up high. Kids are experts at getting into baby-proofing locks. Keep poison control’s number handy.
BURNS:
Burns are a risk for little kids whenever you have heated objects. Keep your kids safe, with attention to these common hazards.
Fireworks: These carry significant burn risk. Sparklers burn well over 1000 degrees, often up to the temperature it takes to melt glass. GLASS. As a trauma surgeon colleague Dr. Jamie Coleman, says, “Any time you light a fuse on a $2 firework, you are trusting that $2 fuse to work properly and not blow one of you fingers off. I don’t “trust” anything for $2.”
Rice and noodles: These are WAY hotter than we often realize and can leave some really nasty burns when a child grabs for them and topples them onto their chest. If you think it’s far enough away from the kid, move it further.
Fireplace screens: Please put a proper screen on your fireplace. It’s an easy prevention for a devastating injury. I will always refer back to this heartbreaking story by one of our own Indianapolis Moms contributors. Her bravery in sharing her story will save other children.
Warming Appliances: Wipe warmers, heated humidifiers, incense or wax warmers, etc. These can be grabbed and toppled onto a small child quickly.
Stove and Oven: Look up safety products. Kids grab for stuff. It happens.
Fire: This goes without saying. But teaching fire safety in general is important.
WATER:
Drowning is SILENT and occurs in under a minute, taking only 1/2 to 1 inch of liquid.
Pool: Get an appropriate pool fence. Assign a water watcher at all times who is not distracted by other tasks or conversations. Look into water safety and swimming classes.
Bathtub: Don’t answer the phone or door or take your soaking, soapy child with you. Don’t turn away even for a moment.
Shallow Water Sources: Children are able to climb head-first into a bucket or toilet long before they can get back out. Lock the bathrooms or the toilets with safety gear.
Retention Ponds: Don’t forget other sources of water around your neighborhood. It’s not just pools.
MOTOR VEHICLES:
A few basic guidelines can prevent significant danger and injury.
Seatbelts: This is crucial. I don’t even start my vehicle until all the passengers are buckled. Help your kids role-play enforcing this boundary.
Car Seats: Don’t rush to move your child to the next car seat stage as soon as they legally can. My children rear-faced until they were over four years old and used a five-point harness until they were 6 or 7. Safety should always come first, no matter the regulations. Don’t use items on or in your car seat that the car seat manufacturer did not make to use with that seat. Don’t add extra padding devices, fluffy coats, or other after-market items. All these can impair car seat strap function. Find more car seat tips here.
Distractions – Cell phones, texting, friends, etc. Eliminate distractions whenever possible. Model these habits for your kids – they are watching.
Baby in the Backseat: Take off a shoe and put it in the backseat. This is a reminder to check the back seat, reducing the risk of leaving a child behind accidentally. Even the most attentive parents are at risk, especially if they’re veering from their usual schedule.
Footwear: Never drive with flip-flops or any other unsecured shoes. They can become stuck and prevent you from using the gas or brake pedals. It’s a small change that can have life-saving consequences.
OTHER:
Here are a few other tips to keep kids safe.
Trampoline: They are SO MUCH FUN. And cause SO MANY INJURIES.
Diaper changes: When your child is on any elevated surface, keep a hand on them before looking away. Start this habit at birth. Babies can start to roll unexpectedly, and this simple precaution can prevent falls.
Firearms: Store firearms securely in a fingerprint-type safe. Children are curious and way more aware of gun location than adults often realize. Even my kids admit they might be tempted to get closer to a gun if they saw it, despite all my efforts to instill gun safety and awareness. Don’t hesitate to ask parents about their weapon storage practices if your child visits their home. You might be surprised at the answers – I have been.
Heavy furniture: Tip strap every heavy furniture piece and TV to the wall. Tip straps are cheap, easy to install, and SO important in keeping kids safe.
I hope this list helps you feel more confident in preparing safety measures for your home. And remember, being safety-conscious doesn’t mean being a helicopter parent. I love seeing children thrive in outdoor, exploratory environments where they learn to navigate risks. It’s about keeping kids safe by empowering them to navigate the world confidently while acting as their safety net.
Sincerely,
