Children have a habit of getting into trouble – through their magical curiosity, they can’t help but climb, pull, and topple over. It can be great fun at the time, but sometimes those little adventures turn into accidents. Accidents in the home aren’t uncommon, and while most are harmless, some can require a trip to accident and emergency or some first aid and quick thinking. While we do everything we can to avoid our little ones getting into accidents, it can be challenging to ensure they are always safe. Here are some of the most common household accidents and what you can do about them.
Objects falling
One of the first things children do when they start crawling around or walking is use furniture and objects to pull themselves up. Often this will be drawers, TV units, and other low tables.
Before we have children, we don’t often think about the furniture falling over, but one of the most important things you can do is attach your furniture to the walls.
Start making it a habit to move wires, tea towels, and other items away from the edges where small hands can reach them.
Choking
As children learn how to chew and swallow, they will often choke for a moment on food. While this can be scary, usually they will recover by themselves.
However, one of the first ways children learn about something is by putting it in their mouth—fluff on the carpet, coins, beads, and more. Most objects are harmless, but sometimes they will put something in their mouth, and it is going to cause a problem.
It is helpful if you know how to handle the situation if a child is choking. There is a different way to handle it than you would with an adult.
Further to this, you can take a test now for CPR and make sure you know what to do if you are ever in that situation.
This might be one of the most important skills you can have.
Cuts
Small cuts are easy to handle. Often all you will need to do is clean the area and add a plaster to keep it clean. If the cut is on the larger side, then you will need to apply pressure to prevent further blood loss and wait.
Usually you can tell quite quickly if it is a cut that needs stitches. Often a cut that stops bleeding after a short time is pressure will be fine to heal by itself.
Apply antiseptic to the area as it heals, and most cuts will heal well.
Burns
For children under 5 it is typically hot drinks that are the culprit for burns. Small hands grabbing cups, or trying to reach them on the side. Hair straighteners, cookers, irons and hot pans are also common problems.
Burns can often appear worse than they are, running them under a cool tap for ten minutes and then checking again is the best thing you can do. Most often it is a good idea to get it checked out by a doctor asap.
No one wants to stop children having their big adventures, but it is important to make sure they are ready to help them should an accident happen.
Of course, we all know the best cure for an accident is a snuggle!
If you are looking for more ways to raise your babies safely, then read: How to Prioritize Your Kid’s Health and Well-Being · Life Made Easier.