Keep Your Children Safe From the Dangers in Your Own Home
February 6-12 2011, is National Burn Awareness Week – and a great opportunity to reeducate ourselves on the many potential dangers around our homes and how to best keep our families safe and prevent burn or scalds. As both a personal injury attorney and a father it was particularly disconcerting to learn that 60 percent of all scald injuries are to children aged younger than 4. The primary reason for this is that children that young are not necessarily able to perceive danger, so it is up to us as parents to ensure they are kept firmly out of harm’s way.
The kitchen is obviously one of the most dangerous rooms in the house so it is important that we consider the safety of our children whenever we are cooking and always keep kids well away from hot stoves and cooking appliances. Of course you still need to supervise your children so put them in their high chair where they are away from the oven but where you can still keep an eye on them. It is recommended to always use back burners where possible and turn pot handles away, towards the back of the stove so that a child can’t reach up and pull it down on top of themselves. Make sure cords for appliances are put up out of reach also.
When dining you should use non-slip placemats rather than tablecloths again in order to avoid your child pulling or spilling hot food over themselves. Toddlers are incredibly curious, and they don’t realize that the steaming vat of soup can really hurt them until it is too late. Never drink or carry hot liquids if you are already holding or carrying your baby – coffee scalds hurt and you don’t want the guilt of having hurt your child.
At bath time, you should always fill up the tub with cold water first, then top it up with warm water. The reason for this is that if someone falls in the bath the water would be cooler rather than hot. Mix the water thoroughly and check the temperature yourself before allowing your child to get in. Our children learn from us and so it is important that we teach them the importance exercising caution to avoid injuries around the house.
Information and commentary provided by the Anderson Law Firm in Ft. Worth. Call toll free at 800-354-MARK or locally at 817-294-1900.
