All accidents do not result in death. Many of them leave the child crippled or disfigured or result in unnecessary pain. It is easier to prevent an accident than to treat a child after the damage has been done. Keep your eyes open and your mind alert for possible situations, which may result in injury to your child.
Falls are the major cause of unintentional injury in children. In a majority of them falls occur from furniture, stairs, baby walkers, balcony, playground equipment, windows and shopping carts. Children do a lot of pulling, pushing, kicking and jumping with the result that they fall. Luckily, their bones are soft and their muscles and joints flexible.
Prevention Tips
> Never use baby walkers with wheels. Use stationary activity centers or walker alternatives.
> Use safety gates at the top and bottom of stairs, if there are infants or toddlers at home.
> Balconies in the house should be high enough to prevent an adult from falling while leaning.
> Furniture in the house should be placed in such a way that children do not climb on it and then fall. Many houses have spring doors, which back automatically. Such doors can knock down a child or crush his fingers if his hand is near the edge of the door.
> Install window guards on windows located on the ground floor as well as higher floors.