{"id":7399,"date":"2019-09-27T11:26:56","date_gmt":"2019-09-27T16:26:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/blog\/?p=7399"},"modified":"2023-04-10T12:39:05","modified_gmt":"2023-04-10T17:39:05","slug":"how-to-keep-children-safe-at-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/how-to-keep-children-safe-at-home\/","title":{"rendered":"How to keep children safe at home"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"alignright cta\">\n<p>Talk to an expert<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/practices\/search\/?adv-specialties=6&amp;adv-specialties=21&amp;adv-practice_type=&amp;adv-language=&amp;adv-near=&amp;adv-radius=5\">Find a pediatrician near you<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Keeping children safe, happy and healthy starts with creating a safe environment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHome is where most of life is lived, and a lot of times when children get injured, they are in their own home,\u201d said <a href=\"https:\/\/providers.osfhealthcare.org\/provider\/Ameera+F.+Nauman\/1465662?unified=Naumann&amp;sort=networks%2C%20relevance\">Ameera Nauman, MD, FAAP<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou want to make your home the safest place for your children to play in, explore and discover new things so they can grow and be healthy.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Newborn<\/h2>\n<p>The largest threat to newborn safety in the home is germs.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe safest thing you can do is make sure everyone is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/blog\/why-you-should-care-about-hand-washing\/\">washing their hands<\/a> frequently,\u201d Dr. Nauman said.<\/p>\n<p>Parents to newborns should also be sure to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Watch bath water temp.<\/strong> Turn down your water heater to no more than 120 degrees Fahrenheit to avoid burns.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Use straps on the baby changing table.<\/strong> Infants should never be left unattended on a high surface, whether a changing table, bed or couch.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/healthlibrary.osfhealthcare.org\/Search\/90,P01750\"><strong>Check smoke detectors.<\/strong><\/a> Don\u2019t forget the carbon monoxide detector as well.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Create a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/blog\/what-parents-can-do-to-ensure-safe-sleep-for-their-baby\/\">safe sleep<\/a> space.<\/strong> Newborns should be laid flat on their backs on a firm surface. No thick pillows, stuffed animals, blanket, which could increase risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Use a rear-facing car seat.<\/strong> Infants should ride in a rear-facing seat at least until they are 2 years old. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/blog\/is-your-car-seat-installed-correctly\/\">More car seat tips here<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Toddler and childhood<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/healthlibrary.osfhealthcare.org\/Search\/3,40087\">Baby-proofing your home<\/a> becomes even more important as children grow and begin to explore their environment even more.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs children grow and change, their environment needs to change as well,\u201d Dr. Nauman said.<\/p>\n<p>The basics of baby-proofing are covering outlets and sharp table corners, securing heavy furniture to the wall and keeping long window cords out of reach.<\/p>\n<p>Parents should also:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Cover the trash can.<\/strong> Find a trash can with a cover that isn\u2019t easily opened to keep kids out of the garbage.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Lock up poisons.<\/strong> This includes cleaning solutions, batteries and medications (which can look like candy).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Install stair gates.<\/strong> Gates should be positioned at the top and bottom of stairs.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Remove weapons.<\/strong> Dr. Nauman suggests making your home a gun-free environment to decrease the risk of accidental shootings. If there is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/blog\/talk-to-kids-and-other-parents-about-gun-safety\/\">gun in the home<\/a>, be sure it is always unloaded and locked away \u2013 regardless of the age of your children.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Keep a close watch.<\/strong> Small children should never be left unattended. In particular, they need close supervision\n<ul>\n<li>Around pets.<\/li>\n<li>Near <a href=\"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/blog\/water-safety-tips-to-keep-your-kids-safe-this-summer\/\">water<\/a> (bath or pool).<\/li>\n<li>Outdoors.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Adolescent<\/h2>\n<p>As children get older, they might become interested in more dangerous activities.<\/p>\n<p>Some of the most common causes of injury and death in adolescents are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Trampolines.<\/strong> They are especially unsafe when being used by multiple jumpers, which Dr. Nauman points out is how teens most often use them.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Fire pits.<\/strong> Burn injuries can range from mild to life-threatening.<\/li>\n<li><strong>ATVs and dirt bikes.<\/strong> Dr. Nauman suggests parents don\u2019t invest in these, because injuries caused by a crash can be very serious.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Bikes.<\/strong> From a young age, children should be taught proper bike and helmet safety.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Don\u2019t forget the grandparents!<\/h2>\n<p>When your child spends time in the home of grandparents, friends or other family members, be on the lookout for any potentially dangerous areas of the home.<\/p>\n<p>If your child does get sick or injured, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/care\">urgent care<\/a> can quickly get them back on their feet again.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Keeping children safe, happy and healthy starts with creating a safe environment. Follow our pediatrician&#8217;s advice to make your home safe.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":60,"featured_media":7405,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"no","footnotes":""},"categories":[116],"tags":[942,677,834,943],"coauthors":[757],"class_list":["post-7399","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pediatrics","tag-newborns","tag-safety","tag-teens-adolescents","tag-toddlers"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to keep children safe at home<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Keeping children safe, happy and healthy starts with creating a safe environment. 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