According to
Parenting Magazine, risks for your child changed from
month month - along with your child. A
ground-breaking new study by the UCLA Center for Health
Policy and Research shows that in the first four years of
a child's life, the biggest hazard to his or her safety
changes as often as every three months. Below are lists of
the top safety risks by age, as well as vital information
on how to prevent them.
IN CASE
OF CHOKING
IF YOUR CHILD IS CHOKING
but can talk, cry or breathe, his airway is only partially
blocked. Don't try to unblock it, which might make the
problem worse. He'll probably cough up whatever's
choking him.
CALL 911 right
away if he shows any of these signs:
blue lips or skin
inability
to swallow
talk, cry, make noise or breath
loss of consciousness
While waiting for emergency help,
apply CPR. It's best if you've taken a course, but
here's what to do for a conscious baby under age the age of one:
STEP
1
Lay him facedown on your forearm, which rests on your
thigh. Support his chin with one hand, with his head
lower than his torso. With the heel of your other hand,
give him five quick blows between his should blades.
STEP
2
If he doesn't cough up the object, turn him on
his back. Now, with two fingers, deliver five quick
thrusts to the center of his check, right on the breastbone, a
fingerbreadth below the nipples.
STEP
3
If he still can't breath, alternate between back blows and
chest thrusts until the airway is clear or help arrives.
0 to 2
MONTHS
2 to 5
MONTHS
TOP RISK: FALLS
...such as off a changing table or
through a front carrier HOW TO PREVENT THEM:
TOP RISK: SHAKEN-BABY
SYNDROME HOW TO PREVENT IT:
Make sure the changing
table's sides are at least 2 inches high. Keep
your baby strapped in while diapering her.
Adjust front carriers
and slings to hold her securely.
To avoid falling while
holding your baby, clear hallways and bedroom floors
of small toys - and walk with care, particularly in
the wee hours, when you're less apt to be alert.
Take a course in infant
and child first air and CPR so you're prepared for
any accident. (Caregivers should take one, too.)
Make sure all family
members and caretakers understand that shaking a
baby - even "just a little" - can cause
serious brain injury or even death.
Recognize that baby care
is stressful, so care for yourself, too. Take
time out for a walk, a hot bath, meditation - or a
night off. See
more
on handling stress.
5 to
8
MONTHS
8 to
12
MONTHS
TOP RISK: FALLS
...from furniture and on stairs, now that your baby can roll,
creep and crawl HOW TO PREVENT THEM:
TOP RISK: CHOKING
By now, a baby can grasp things between his thumb and
forefinger (the "pincher" grasp), put them in his
mouth and swallow them. HOW TO PREVENT IT:
Never leave a baby
unattended on a bed, sofa or other high surface,
even if she's in a bouncy seat or detached car seat.
Install hardware-mounted
safety gates (look for the ASTM/JPMA seal) at the
top and bottom of staircases. See
more
on child-proofing.
Remember that a crawling
baby can get to your purse, a wastebasket and
whatever else is on the floor. So keep your
purse up high, and don't leave anything around
that's small enough to choke on, including coins,
safety pins, pen caps, balloons (inflated or not),
paper clips, buttons and toys with tiny parts.
If it's small enough to fit through a toilet paper
tube, it's a choking hazard.
Make sure all foods are
cooked until they're soft, then masked or cut into
bits.
12 to 17 MONTHS
18 MONTHS to 3 YEARS
TOP RISK: BURNS,
DROWNING
Now your toddler can pull himself up and cruise, not to
mention walk and run, so there's more potential trouble. HOW TO PREVENT THEM:
TOP RISK: POISONING
Toddlers love to explore but don't understand the dangers of
swallowing pills or liquids.
HOW TO PREVENT IT:
Set your water heater to
120 degrees Fahrenheit to preventing scalding.
Don't microwave baby
bottles; you may create hot spots. (You don't
need to warm up baby bottles, but if you want to, do
so gently in water on the stove.) Test all
heated food before serving.
Never leave your child
unattended in the bathtub, even for a second.
Always supervise him around pools or buckets of
water.
Make sure all medicines
in your home have childproof caps, and store
the drugs will out of reach.
Use safety latches on
cabinets within your child's reach, particularly
under bathroom, kitchen and laundry sinks, where the
most dangerous liquids often are kept.
Don't lay medicine on
the counter "to take later" and remind
grandparents to store their pill bottles out of
reach; easy-to-open containers for seniors are a
common cause of childhood poisoning.
IN CASE OF POISONING
3 TO 5 YEARS
IF YOU SUSPECT YOUR CHILD HAS
SWALLOWED OR INHALED a household chemical or medicine, call
Poison Control at 800-222-1222,
any time of the day
or night. You'll be connected to your local poison
control center.
TOP RISK: CAR-RELATED
INJURIES
Pedestrian injuries in driveways and on streets, and car
accidents
HOW TO PREVENT THEM:
When exiting or entering
a driveway, know exactly where your kids are.
Don't rely on rearview mirrors; if possible, have
another adult watch or hold your child.
From birth, all children
need car seats, so resist the urge to let your pre-schooler
"graduate" to seat belts. When she's
around 4 or weighs more than 40 pounds, it's time
for a booster seat. This raises her up so she
can safely use the car's belt system. She'll
need a booster until she's at least 8 years old, or
4 feet, 9 inches tall.
Know how to properly
mount and buckle your kids' car seats; only 1 in 7
is correctly installed. Visit a trained
technician for a free demonstration of how to adjust
your seat. To find one, go to
www.nhtsa.dot.gov.
CPR
FOR CHILDREN AGE 1 - 8
1.
Check the victim for unresponsiveness. If you are alone with
the child give one minute of CPR then call 911 and
return to the victim. In most locations the emergency
dispatcher can assist you with CPR instructions.
2.
BLOW Tilt the head back and listen for breathing. If
not breathing normally cover the mouth with yours and blow
until you see the chest rise. Give 1 breath. Each breath
should take 2 seconds.
3.
PUMP If the victim is still not breathing normally,
coughing or moving, begin chest compressions. Use the heel of
one hand for chest compressions. Push down on the chest 1 to
11/2 inches 5 times right between the nipples. Pump at the
rate of 100/minute, faster than once per second.
CONTINUE
WITH 1 BREATH AND 5 PUMPS
UNTIL HELP ARRIVES.
DO YOU KNOW WHAT
THESE SAFETY SYMBOLS MEAN?
This
symbol means something is POISON. Poison can make you,
your friends or your pets very sick if you touch it,
drink it, or get it in your eye. You
should always be very careful to NOT play with anything
with this symbol on it. If you find something will this
symbol on it, tell an adult right away.
Mr.
Yuk
In 1971, Mr. Yuk was created by the Pittsburgh Poison
Center at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. Since
then, Mr. Yuk has been used to educate children and
adults about poison prevention and to promote poison
center awareness.
Every Mr. Yuk sticker contains the name of the nearest
poison center and the national toll-free poison help
telephone number—1-800-222-1222.
This symbol means
medicine prescribed by a doctor. You should only take a
prescription if your doctor has prescribed it and only
in the amount and at the times of day the doctor said to
take it.
Medicine is not
candy, so you should NEVER take it unless your mom or
dad tells you to.
This symbol means
CAUTION. This is warning you that something might be
dangerous and you should be extra careful.
These other
symbols also mean caution:
This symbol means
FIRST AID. If you are ever hurt and see this symbol, go
to them for help.
These other
symbols also mean first aid:
This symbol means
DANGER. Like the caution symbol, this means be very
careful. If you see this symbol, you should leave the
area and find an adult.
Consumer Product Safety
Commission Visit the CPSC home page
http://www.cpsc.gov
to search for information about toy safety and choking
hazards. Call CPSC at 1-800-638-2772.
1.
Check the victim for unresponsiveness. If you are alone with
the child give one minute of CPR then call 911 and
return to the victim. In most locations the emergency
dispatcher can assist you with CPR instructions.
2.
BLOW Tilt the head back and listen for breathing. If
not breathing normally cover the mouth with yours and blow
until you see the chest rise. Give 1 breath. Each breath
should take 2 seconds.
3.
PUMP If the victim is still not breathing normally,
coughing or moving, begin chest compressions. Use the heel of
one hand for chest compressions. Push down on the chest 1 to
11/2 inches 5 times right between the nipples. Pump at the
rate of 100/minute, faster than once per second.
This
symbol means something is POISON. Poison can make you,
your friends or your pets very sick if you touch it,
drink it, or get it in your eye. You
should always be very careful to NOT play with anything
with this symbol on it. If you find something will this
symbol on it, tell an adult right away.
This symbol means
DANGER. Like the caution symbol, this means be very
careful. If you see this symbol, you should leave the
area and find an adult.