June is National Children’s Safety Month
This annual observance aims to educate teachers and caregivers about the leading causes of preventable injuries and deaths.
According the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Childhood Injury Report, injuries are among the most under-recognized public health problems facing the nation today.
Prevention First
More than 9 million children are treated every year at emergency rooms for nonfatal, unintentional injuries. Unintentional injuries are also the leading cause of death for children in the United States, making it crucial for parents to understand how to administer first aid to their child should a minor or severe accident occur.
Injury prevention is in the forefront of every parent or caregiver’s mind. However, no matter how well you baby proof your house or how many times you demand your children wear helmets, accidents will happen. Therefore, it is essential that every parent is able to understand how to provide accurate and effective first aid attention.
The majority of nonfatal injuries in children younger than age 16 are caused by falls, animal bites or insect stings, cuts, overexertion and being struck by or against an object (not including car accidents).
The 8 Most Unsafe Baby Products
1. Baby Walkers
More than 14,000 babies are sent to the hospital every year with baby walker injuries. Plus, studies find that baby walkers don’t encourage walking and can actually delay children’s development.
2. Baby Bath Seats
Baby bath seats are not safety devices. They will not hold your child safely in the bath. And despite how you feel about baby bath seats, never ever leave your baby alone in the bathtub. A baby can drown silently in just an inch of water.
3. Doorway Jumpers
According to the CPSC’s 2006 report, doorway jumpers cause “amputation, crushing, lacerations, fractures, hematomas, bruises, or other injuries to fingers, toes, or other parts of the anatomy of young children.”
4. Wipe Warmers
Tens of thousands of wipe warmers were recently recalled for posing a fire risk. An electrical box that heats wet paper isn’t a safe thing to plug into a baby nursery.
5. Sleep Positioners
The National SIDS Alliance does not recommend using sleep positioners. Even ones designed with mesh sides or special airflow fabric put children at risk for smothering, as well as potentially cause a baby to re-breathe his own carbon dioxide.
6. Crib Bumpers and Plush Bedding
oft bedding, blankets, pillows and stuffed animals should not be placed in a baby’s crib. What most people don’t know is that this recommendation extends to crib bumpers.
7. Baby Bicycle Seats
Baby bicycle seats mounted on the back of adult bikes are extremely dangerous. They cause a shift in weight and balance for the adult biker, and can prolong braking times. And because no one can predict uneven pavement or an ill-placed rock, if the adult should stumble or fall off the bike, the strapped-in baby is especially vulnerable to injury.
8. Balloons
balloons cause more accidental deaths than any other toy. The harmless-looking orbs of air are the leading cause of toy asphyxiation in small children; kids up to 11 years old have died when they sucked down a balloon. If you must have balloons, choose mylar. Mylar balloons are just as fun as latex, are super shiny and do not tend to explode into a million dangerous, rubbery pieces.
