Some Hints for Child Safety
© 1998 Dick Wulf, MSW, LCSW

Childproof your house. See every room in your home from your child's point of view - down on the floor, or down on your knees! - and remedy everything and anything that could hurt your child. Install covers on unused electrical outlets; store dangerous things high and locked up; store only safe things where they are easy to reach, don’t overload electrical outlets.

Clean up spills right away so people don’t slip and injure themselves. Pick up things dropped on the floor for the same reason.

Learn first aid.

Install smoke detectors. Make sure everyone knows where the fire extinguishers are located.

Discourage running in the house.

Next, post all emergency numbers next to each phone in your house - poison control, hospital, doctor's office, nearest neighbor, fire, police, and especially 911. Even a three-year-old can learn how to dial 911 and how to talk to the operator.

Keep as calm as you can when your child is hurt. He may not be calm, and will need your strength. It's certainly all right for him to cry when he is hurt, but when he sees you caring, speaking gently and sympathetically, and taking care of the problem without getting too upset or angry yourself, it will help him emotionally. You, the adult, can also think more clearly when you can stay calm and unruffled.

Teach your child that fire is serious. Don't permit her to be tempted by leaving matches or lighters around. When you're cooking in your kitchen, using the grill outside, lighting your fireplace or heater, or doing anything else with fire, talk to your child about how powerful fire is, and how dangerous it can be if it is not handled well.

Drowning in the home is a shocking cause of deaths in young children. A young child can drown in the bathtub in the time it takes to answer the phone, so if you must answer the phone while your child is in the tub, take the baby with you.

Children find medicines very interesting. But even an aspirin or a vitamin pill is serious medicine. So keep the containers out of sight. Of course you want childproof caps on your containers, but that won't do the whole job - kids are very clever! Never keep any medicines anywhere but in your medicine cabinet. Put a lock on it and keep it locked; many children delight in climbing up to cabinets and taking out what's inside.

By the way, where are your cleaning supplies? Dishwashing soap? Toilet bowl cleaner? Laundry detergent? Bleach? What about garden insecticides, weed killer, fertilizer? What about motor oil, antifreeze? Keep them out of sight and out of reach - they can be just as poisonous as medications. Learn what household products may be dangerous, and then keep these things always in locked cupboards, where your child can't reach them even if he or she stands on a chair. It's worth it to reorganize your house or garage to prevent serious illness or injury or even death.

What if your child has ingested some poison? If you're not sure it's poison, assume it is, and get help. Give her some water or milk to dilute the poison. Ask her what it was she took. If she can't tell you or doesn't know, look around. Is there a medicine container lying around where she was? A bottle of cleaner? Something spilled on the floor? If you can find the culprit material, take the container with you to the phone as you call the Poison Control Center or the hospital. And do call - don't just trust the instructions on the box or bottle. They'll ask you for specific information from the container, the size of your child, the time and amount of the poisoning. Answer as best you can. Have syrup of ipecac in your locked medicine cabinet, but don't use it to induce your child to vomit unless you are told to.

Electricity, like fire, is powerful and needs to be handled wisely. Teach your child about never mixing electricity with water. Teach her also how to plug and unplug an appliance safely, without just yanking at the cord, and how to tell if an electric cord is dangerous to use.

You want your children to enjoy their toys, not be hurt by them. American toy companies have a strict rating system. On toy product boxes you'll see a suggested age range. Make a note of this, and judge your child's abilities and maturity level to decide if he or she is responsible enough to use this toy in the way it's designed. Babies experience their world by seeing, touching, and listening. They're curious and want to learn. As soon as a baby can grab something, she'll put it into her mouth. So don't give her anything to play with that wouldn't be safe for her to chew on! Children several months old need toys without small parts which they might swallow. Children from 16 months or so to about 3 years are developing their minds and imitating the adult world. They need "be like mommy or daddy" toys, things to climb on, things that let them push their limits. Make sure their indoor and outdoor toys can stand a lot of abuse and are strong enough to climb on.

Eliminate toys with sharp points and toys that break too easily. This may eliminate some of the cheaper toys in the store, but it's better for your child to have fewer and safer toys than to have more toys but be endangered.

Make sure toys are safe for everyone: keep them in a closet, in a toy box, on shelves, or in other places where nobody will be hurt by stepping on them, tripping over them, slipping on them, or running over them!

By the way, always remember that children are naturally curious. If you keep a gun in your home, your child will probably find it. Make it hard. Store it out of reach, in a locked box made especially for guns. The gun should be unloaded, and the ammunition should be stored in a different place, also out of your child's reach and also locked. You should also put a trigger lock on the gun. BB guns should be treated the same way - they are not toys and they do kill. Experts advise that even if you don't own a gun, teach your child what to do if she sees a gun, in her own home or someone else's: Tell him, "Even if you don't know if it's a real gun or a toy one, don't touch it! Leave that area immediately, and go find an adult. If you can't find an adult, call 911."

As your child grows, he or she will want to be more adventurous - ride bikes, skate, ski, join sports teams. What safety equipment goes with the activity your child is interested in? How does one do this activity safely as well as happily? Make this into a relationship-building exercise by taking your child to the library to read about the sport. Investigate safety measures and equipment together, instead of just buying your child what he or she wants. Make a deal: for him or her to have roller blades, for instance, he or she has to agree always to use the safety gear - wrist guards, elbow guards, knee guards, helmet. Your kids will fall down so many times they'll be glad to be wearing the stuff.

Make a particular rule about helmets. Just as you should never ride in the car without safety belts, you should never ride a bicycle without a safety helmet. Teach by example if you're a cyclist yourself.

Unfortunately, neighborhood parks and even front yards aren't always safe.

Experts say that when you send your children to play in a public park, send them in pairs or groups. That makes them safer going to and from the park as well as playing there. Teach them to play with, or at least around, other children - and not go wandering off out of sight. A child molester is likely to single out a lone child rather than one in a group, so there's safety in numbers.

Teach your child not to speak with or accept anything from strangers, even nice ones. If they're in their own yard, they need to come get you immediately rather than talk with a stranger. Experts say child molesters rarely molest a child they don't know; however, other experts say it only takes such a person half an hour to get to know a child!

When your family goes to the mall or any other public place, make it your job to know where your children are always. Teach your child what to do if he or she becomes separated from you. The "safe strangers" they can turn to for help are those behind the store counters or those in the police-type uniforms. If an "unsafe stranger," or anybody they feel funny about, tries to take them away, they should scream and fuss and make all the noise they can! The "temper tantrum" noise you don't want your child to do normally is the right thing to do in a situation like this! But train them - and it may take some training - not only to scream loudly, but also to scream words: "Help me! This is not my mom (or dad)! They're taking me away from my parents! I don't know this man!"

When your child tries to talk to you, don't put him or her off. Don't decide that the trivial talk isn't important, because the trivia may be the "opening line" to a serious problem. Keep the communication channels open, even if you have to set down your paperwork, shut off the TV, or delay lunch again. Listen! You never know when your child will have something important to say!

The earlier you start educating about drugs and alcohol, the more effective you're likely to be. And always remember that the best educating tool is a consistent good example.

Do you know how to recognize when your child or someone else is abusing drugs or alcohol? Sometimes the symptoms aren't easy to recognize, and some kids are masters at hiding the evidence.

Here are some early warning signs of changing behavior, as described in the US Department of Education handbook, "Growing Up Drug-Free":

• Low grades or poor school performance, especially if these have been good in the past;
• Aggressive, rebellious behavior;
• Excessive influence on the child by his or her peers;
• Lack of support or guidance by parents;
• Behavior problems at an early age.

Since children are changing all the time, these behaviors may happen anyway without drugs. One way to determine if these changes do indicate drug use is to measure how quickly the changes take place; if the change is sudden and short, lasting only a few days, it may be a signal of drug or alcohol use. For more information about alcohol and drugs, contact your local library or the US Department of Education.

In some areas it's difficult to get baby-sitters, but it's better not to go out at all than hire a person unfit to care for your child. Make sure every sitter you hire is experienced in caring for children your child's age, is of good character (get references), will make your children's care the first priority (over homework, telephone calls, TV, or anything else), likes children (especially yours!), and can handle any emergency that might come up. Your sitter needs to know where you will be and how you can be reached, when you will return, the routine he or she needs to follow with your children, anything special that will make the baby-sitting time go more smoothly, and the list of emergency numbers. Never let a baby-sitter entertain guests while he or she is on the job.

When your child becomes ill, you want him or her to recover as quickly and painlessly as possible. Sometimes, when your child is down with a bug again and the medicine you used last time doesn't seem to be working as well, you're tempted to increase the dosage. Don't - first consult your physician or pharmacist! There may be something better than what you're currently using. Don't guess what amount of medication you should give. Half an adult dose isn't always right for a child. So check the label, or call the doctor or the pharmacy.

It takes effort to be safe, to teach your children safe habits and responses, and to be a good model for your children to copy. But it's more than worthwhile.

Dick Wulf, MSW, LCSW
Colorado Springs, Colorado