Injury Prevention

Protecting your Baby

BC Children's Safe Start and Safe Kids Canada 2007

Did you know?

Injuries kill more children than all other diseases, combined.
Serious childhood injuries lead to 25,500 hospitalizations and 390 deaths every year in Canada.
Many people see the bumps and bruises of everyday life for a child as "accidents" but injuries are predicatable and preventable.

You can prevent:

SafeStart Publication “Give your child a safe start”

Falls

Falls are the main reason children are hospitalized. Children fall at home, school, and out at play from chairs, beds, down stairs and steps, off playground equipment and off of bikes and scooters. A fall can break bones or cause a serious head injury.

Prevent falls:

Keep a hand on baby at all times when changing baby's diaper.
Do not leave baby in a bouncer chair on the table or counter.
Never leave your baby alone in a shopping car, not even for a second.
Always use the safety belt on your baby's highchair.
Install safety gates at the top and bottom of steps.
Move all chairs and tables away from windows or balcony rails.
Don't use a baby walker.
Check to be sure that the playground your child is playing at has soft surfaces (wood chips or sand), is in good repair and has barriers and railing to prevent falls.

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Car crashes

Injuries from motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of injury-related deaths and serious injuries to the head, spine and internal organs.The risk of injury can be reduced by protecting children with the right kind of car seat for their age and size, and using it correctly.

Have a safe trip:

Have your car seat installed properly.
Use the car seat every time. Never hold your baby in your arms.
Be sure the car seat or booster seat is the right size for your child. Check the instructions.
Be sure the car seat strap is snug. Make sure the seat belt is tight.
Never place your baby in front of an air bag. Children under 12 are safest in the back seat.

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Drowning

Drowning is the second leading cause of death of Canadian children. It can happen quickly and silently and can occur anywhere there is a source of water (swimming pools, lakes, streams, bathtubs, hot tubs).

Keep water time safe:

Actively supervise your child. Stay within reach or sight of your child at all times. Always know where your child is and be close enough to see, hear and reach them.
Get trained: become a competent swimmer, know first aid, and CPR.
Create barriers: install four-sided fencing around home swimming pools and an automatic, self-closing gate. Empty water-filled containers such as garden tubs or inflatable pools, and turn them upside down.
Use lifejackets: everyone wears a properly-fitting lifejacket when boating. Children wear an approved PFD or lifejacket that fits properly. Air-filled water wings or inner tubes do not prevent children from drowning.
Teach children to swim: swimming lessons increase awareness of water safety. Remember though, that preschoolers do not have the developmental ability to know signs of danger and are not able to get themselves out of danger. Know your child's limits and stay within reach at all times.

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Fire and Burns

Children are vulnerable to burns because their skin is thinner than adults. A child's skin burns 4 times more quickly and deeply than an adult's at the same temperature. In fact, hot water or other liquids can burn as badly as fire.

Prevent burns:

Install smoke alarms on every level of your home and in every sleeping area. Test alarms monthly and change batteries every year. (Every Halloween or New Years)
Plan an escape route to get everyone out of your home, fast.
Keep lighters and matches out of sight and out of reach.
Reduce tap water temperature to 49C. Bath water should be warm, not hot.
Keep hot liquids away from children.
Keep appliance cords and pot handles out of reach.

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Pedestrian Injuries

The highest risk factors for pedestrian injuries include driver speed, risky child behaviour, lack of adult supervision, and crossing the street at a spot without traffic controls.

Keep your child safe around traffic:

Supervise children when around traffic.
Teach children how to cross the street safely. Start teaching road safety rules young, and then repeat regularly as they grow.
Children under 9 years cross the road with an adult or older youth, following road safety rules.

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Choking and Suffocating

Major threats to breathing for young children include choking on food and small objects, straggling on objects such as ropes or blind cords, and suffocating in cribs or beds.

Prevent choking and suffocating:

Keep choking hazards away from children. Babies should sit up when they eat. Keep coins, buttons, peanuts, whole hot dogs and grapes, popcorn and hard candy out of reach. Throw away soothers (pacifiers) that are chewed or broken.
Make your child's sleeping environment safe. Tie cords from curtains and blinds up high out of reach.

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Poisoning

Many things in our homes are bad for a child to eat or drink. Medication is the leading cause of poisoning in children. A child will not know that household cleaners and products such as mouthwash or nail polish are poisonous.

Prevent poisoning:

Keep all poisons in their original containers and locked out of reach.

This includes keeping purses and other bags, including visitors, out of reach.
Put special locks on cupboards with cleaners, soap, bleach and other poisonous materials.
Keep diaper creams, tobacco, alcoholic beverages, mouthwash, perfume, paints and any other poisons out of reach.
Many plants can be poisonous. Keep plants away from babies.

Keep all medicine in original packaging and locked up.

Put all medicines up high. Children can take off saftey tops of medicine bottles.

Use a poison information centre for reliable information, keep the poison control centre phone number by the phone.

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How you can find out more:

Take a first aid course

St John’s Ambulance: In Prince George, call 561-1696.

Red Cross: In Prince George, call 562-1238.

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Injury Prevention

Protecting your Baby

Did you know?

You can prevent:

Falls

Prevent falls:

Car crashes

Have a safe trip:

Drowning

Keep water time safe:

Fire and Burns

Prevent burns:

Pedestrian Injuries

Keep your child safe around traffic:

Choking and Suffocating

Prevent choking and suffocating:

Poisoning

Prevent poisoning:

How you can find out more:

Take a first aid course

Links

General Injury Prevention information:

First Nations Injury Prevention information:

Road Safety information:

For Youth and Parents of Youth