What is Child Safety Week?

Child Safety Week is an annual campaign to raise awareness of the risks of child accidents and how they can be prevented.

• Every week a child under the age of 5 years old dies as the result of an accident.
• 75% of all accidents presented at A&E in under 5’s happened in the home.
•  50% of all accidents in under 5’s were preventable.
• In response to COVID-19, the focus in 2020 is to provide families with essential advice on keeping children safe in lockdown and as the lockdown eases.

So, what can I do to try and keep my children safe at home during this strange period of lockdown?

It’s often the simple things that make the biggest difference. You’ve probably heard them all a hundred times before but taking a few seconds to do some simple tasks can make a huge difference.

• Keep medication out of reach from little ones, don’t forget those ones you keep in your handbag too!
• Try not to overload plug sockets, it’s one of the biggest causes of fires in the home.
• It’s great to get the children involved with household chores but make sure all cleaning liquids/tablets are kept out of reach. Washing tablets look particularly appealing to a toddler!
• Button batteries can cause death if swallowed yet they are so commonly found in many children’s toys. Supervise play and make sure battery compartments are screwed down.
• Hair straighteners and hot drinks are one of the biggest causes of burns in children. They take up to 15mins to cool down so find a safe spot in the room where they can be put out of reach.
• Get in the habit of using the back rings on the cooker and always turn the pan handles round so little arms can’t reach.
• Always supervise bath time and any outdoors water play. It only needs an inch or 2 of water for a child to drown.
• Don’t let those teenagers charge their phones under their pillows overnight!
• Older children out on bikes must wear a helmet. There has been far too many cyclist deaths on the road recently. No helmet = no bike ride!
• Take extra care when going out for walks. Quieter roads may mean drivers going faster than they should. Try and explain to children that whilst you may need to step into the road to keep a 2m distance from others at the moment, it is not normally a safe thing to do.

What other steps can I take?

Finally, make the most of this time at home with your children. Use the time to talk about safety in all areas. Talk about a fire safety plan – which way would they get out of the house? Talk about adults they could call for help if they needed to. Make sure they know the phone numbers for emergency services. Do they know how to access a phone in an emergency? Can they unlock your mobile? Sometimes these little things could save a life!

More help and information:

If you would like more information about child safety week, you can find a parent from the Child Accident Prevention Trust, here.