27 Safeguards to Keep Our Little Ones Safe from Harm

by Lois Breneman, © 2009, Heart to Heart

Children are very priceless, God-given treasures, and we want to do everything in our power to keep them safe, but accidents happen so quickly and can happen to any one of our families. 

There are, however, many precautions we can take, without being paranoid.  Many of these tips are common sense, but you may be unaware of a few of these ways to help prevent a tragedy involving a precious little child.

Recently it was reported in the news that a toddler left the home in the middle of the night, wearing only a diaper and T-shirt, and was found frozen to death in the morning a half a mile away from home!  Lock doors to prevent inquisitive toddlers from escaping the safety of their home.  Special child-proof door knob covers can be purchased to make it much more difficult for a toddler to open them.  Install chain locks high on the door.  Alarms that go off when a door or window is opened are another safeguard.

Never leave a bucket or basin of water setting out, uncovered, or without a very tight fitting, child-proof lid.  Young children have fallen into buckets and drowned.

Keep toilet seats down and keep bathroom doors closed, as a double safety precaution to keep toddlers from falling in a toilet head first.

Put your baby to sleep on his back, rather than on his tummy, due to SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).  It's also recommended that no pillows, blankets or stuffed toys be in the baby's crib, because of a chance of suffocation.  Be sure there is no space between the crib mattress and the bed, where a baby could get lodged in between.

Long ties on clothing can get caught in escalators or on a sliding board, so be aware of that.  Also if you ride an escalator with your children, be sure you are able to handle everyone.  Otherwise the elevator may be a better option.  Crocks, the popular shoes, have also been known to get caught on escalators.

Keep cribs away from cords hanging down from blinds.  These cords have been a source of strangulation on many occasions.

While children are riding in a vehicle, of course, have them buckled in safely in the back seat.  It's a law that helps save lives.

Tragically we have all read in the paper more than once about parents forgetting their baby, toddler, or a sleeping child, as they drove to work with so many things on their mind.  They forget to drop off their child at the day care, and to their horror they return to their car at the end of the work day and discover that while they worked all day, their child had died inside their car from the heat or frigid temperatures!  As a safeguard for not forgetting your precious baby or toddler in his car seat, put your purse on the floor right in front of your child's car seat when you strap him in.

While children are riding in the car, do not allow them to play with the automatic windows.  If you are able to lock the windows from the driver's seat, do so.  Another tragedy in the news was an incident where a child had a jump rope hanging out the window, watching it blow in the wind.  The rope caught something outside the car as they drove, and the child's hand was severed!

Decks can be enjoyable if little ones are carefully supervised, but a dangerous place if children are left to themselves.  Some decks would allow a child's head to get caught between the slats, while others have slats far enough apart for a small child to fall through!

Never leave a child unattended in the bathtub.  Don't ever depend on a four or five year old to watch a baby or toddler in the tub while you leave the room.  Read to your children or teach a song to them while they bathe - or catch up on some of your own reading.

Toddlers climbing up on chairs can pose a problem - that of falling down and landing on their head.  Of course kitchen chairs get used often to use this idea, but if the dining room chairs are a temptation, try tying the chair legs together with bungee cords, so they can't be pulled out from the table.

Cover the fireplace hearth with a padded seat cover.  You can purchase thick foam at a fabric store, and cover it with fabric.

You may want to use swimmer's noodles as buffers for sharp edges.  Cut off a length of the noodle, slice it down the middle using an electric knife, then place over sharp edges of coffee tables and such.

Bookcases can be a hazard if not secured.  Fastening a tall bookcase to the wall is a very good safety precaution.  A toppled bookcase filled with heavy books could crush a child,  especially if he decides to do some climbing.

Children under one year of age should not be given honey, as it could cause botulism.  After age one, honey is safe to use.

Take precautions to prevent little fingers from getting smashed in car doors or any other door.

Candles should be kept out of reach of little ones, and never leave a child in a room alone with a candle.  Some children are too inquisitive to leave it alone.

Tiny toys and other objects are serious choking hazards.  This can get complicated and rather difficult when older children play with Legos or other small toys, and there is a baby or toddler in the home.  Keep a close guard on this problem.

Chop food into tiny pieces for toddlers to prevent choking.  Grapes should be cut into fourths.

If you have fans or space heaters in use, set them up out of reach.  Take extra precautions, and teach your children of the dangers.

Be super careful of bunk beds.  Too many children have fallen from the top bunk and injured themselves, ended up in intensive care, and have even suffered permanent brain damage. 

Be alert to baby products and children's toys that have been recalled because of safety reasons.

Use electrical receptacle covers to prevent a curious child from inserting a sharp instrument into the hole and electrocuting himself.

Keep matches, scissors, knives and other sharp objects out of a young child's reach.  Don't allow them to run around with pens, pencils, lollipops, or anything that could be jammed down their throats if they should fall.

Never mow while children are nearby.  Objects like sticks and stones can go flying without warning.

Be extremely careful when backing a car into the driveway.  Little ones playing nearby may not be seen.

Keep doors to stairs closed to prevent little ones from tumbling down.  Use baby gates.

It would be a good idea for parents and grandparents to know First Aid, CPR and the Heimlich Maneuver, just in case any of these skills are ever necessary to save a life of a family member, friend or stranger.