Safe Kids Worldwide Safety Tips

Did You Know?

Unintentional falls are the number one case of non-fatal injuries to children and the majority of falls happen at home
Working smoke alarms reduce the chance of dying in a fire by 50%!
Medicines are the leading cause of child poisoning!
Each year in the United States, more than 2,200 children (or 6 kids a day) die from an injury in the home
82% of accidental suffocation deaths among infants occur in bed
The majority of childhood suffocation, choking and strangulation incidents happen at home
Swimming pools are the most common site for drowning to occur for children ages 1-4
The majority of infant drowning deaths happen in bathtubs or large buckets
Road injuries are the leading cause of unintentional deaths to children in the United States
On average, every 10 days a child dies from heatstroke in a vehicle

Home Safety

Install screens and window guards to prevent unintentional window falls
Keep children from climbing near windows by moving cribs and other furniture away from windows to prevent window falls
Secure kids when seated in high chairs, infant carriers, swings and strollers. If your baby is in a carrier, remember to place it on the floor
Watch out for stairs! Use safety gates at the tops and bottoms of stairs and attach them to the wall securely.
Keep hallways and stairs well lit and clear of clutter
Use anti-slip rugs in the bathtub or shower
Secure TVs and furniture to the wall using mounts, brackets, braces, anchors or wall straps to prevent tip overs
Check your smoke alarms regularly (or at least every 6 months)
Store matches and lighters out of reach of children
Don’t plug in too many things in an electrical socket
Child proof electrical outlets and appliances
Check to make sure the water temperature is right
Closely supervise children in the bathtub
Use the back burner of your stove to prevent children from grabbing at pot handles
Install smoke detectors on every level of your home, outside every sleeping area and in each bedroom
Install barriers around fire places, ovens, and furnaces
Keep flammable and hazardous items locked up and away from children
Keep flammable materials away from space heaters
Install and text carbon monoxide alarms
Keep all medications locked up and away from the reach of children
Ensure all caps are locked securely on medications
Close toilet lids and use toilet seat locks to prevent drowning

Play Safety

Play on soft surfaces at playgrounds by choosing playgrounds that have surfaces with rubber, turf, sand, pea gravel, wood chips or mulch
Protect your child’s head by ensuring they wear helmets for activities such as biking and skateboarding
Think about your child’s age and development when purchasing a toy or a game
Check to make sure there aren’t any small parts or other potential choking hazards when choosing a toy
Stay up to date on toy recalls, sign up for the latest recall information by going to https://salsa4.salsalabs.com/o/51121/signup_page/recalls
For more information about recalls, go to www.recalls.gov

Fire Safety

Regularly check all smoke detectors
Create and practice a fire escape plan with two ways out of every room
Teach children to “get low and go” if there is smoke
Practice feeling the door, doorknob and spaces around the door with the back of the hand to see if they are too hot
Choose a place outside to meet that is a safe distance from the house
If you live in an apartment, know all of your building’s fire escape exits and use the stairs to get out
If there is a fire and you cannot escape safely from your home, keep smoke out of the room by covering vents and cracks around the door

Sleep and Suffocation Safety

Missouri Safe Sleep Coalition: What is Safe Sleep?
Make sure your crib is up to date
If you can fit a can of soda between the crib slats, that means a child’s head, hand or foot could get stuck
If the sides go down, don’t use the crib
Use a bare crib with only a tight fitted crib sheet
If you are getting a used crib, check to see if it has been recalled at www.recalls.gov
Avoid putting baby’s sleep space near windows, draperies, blinds or wall-mounted decorations
Do not hang anything on or above the baby’s crib
Room sharing is the safest option for your baby; place your baby’s sleep space next to your bed
Place your baby on his or her back to sleep for all sleeps
Do NOT place babies on beds, sofas, recliners, chairs, soft surfaces, bouncy chairs, car seats or baby swings to sleep

Water Safety

Closely supervise kids in or around water
Never leave your child unattended around water; babies can drown in as little as one inch of water
Remove water from tubs and buckets immediately after use
Install fences around home pools; a pool fence should surround all sides of the pool and be at least four feet tall
Teach children how to swim early; start introducing babies to water around 6 months old
Empty inflatable pools or portable pools immediately after use

Car Safety

In Missouri, children less than 4 years old or less than 40 pounds must be in a child safety seat
In Missouri, children ages 4 through 7 who weigh at least 40 pounds must be in a child safety seat or booster seat until they are 80 pounds or 4 feet 9 inches tall
Ensure your children are safety buckled for ALL car rides
NEVER leave your child alone in a car, not even for a minute
– A car can heat up 19 degrees in just 10 minutes and cracking a window does not help
– Young children’s bodies heat up three to five times faster than an adult’s
Always hold your child’s hand while walking near moving vehicles, in driveways, parking lots or on sidewalks
Teach your children early to look both ways before crossing any roadway
Before you get in the car, make sure there are no children around your vehicle
If you see a child alone in a car, call 911 immediately
Make sure to lock your vehicle when you’re not using it
Make sure your kids know that trunks are not safe places to play
Teach your children to never ride with someone who has been drinking or doing drugs

**Safe Kids Worldwide Child Safety Resource: www.safekids.org

Safe Kids Worldwide Safety Tips

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