Safe Kids Safety Tip of the Week
July 14, 2009 by Dan
Filed under Parent's Advice
By Safe Kids/PIO
July 13, 2009
Editor’s Note: Each week we will give you safety tips in different areas. We hope this helps you to keep our children safe: This week: Protecting our Babies.
We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com
Accidental injury is the number one killer of America’s children, taking more lives than disease, violence and suicide. Prevention is the cure. It’s estimated that by taking these and other simple precautions, almost all (90 percent) of these accidental injuries can be avoided.
Fragile, helpless and innocent, your infant enters the world completely dependent on you. From the moment you leave the hospital, you take steps to keep her safe. You buckle her tenderly into a rear-facing child safety seat for the ride home. You check the bath temperature carefully before placing her in the water. At night, you tuck her in to a new crib, with a label that assures you it meets national safety standards. But could you be doing more?
Although your home should be a safe haven for your baby, it can be dangerous. Babies face a list of potential injuries – including choking, drowning, falls, poisons and burns – that can overwhelm any parent. Yet each of these risks can be reduced or eliminated by taking simple, time-tested steps.
The greatest gift you can give your baby is a safe environment. Explore the links below to learn more.
To learn more about airway obstruction injury, falls and childhood unintentional poisioning read A Report to the Nation: Trends in Unintentional Childhood Injury Mortality, 1987-2000 (May 2003).
To purchase educational materials about specific risk areas, check out our Resource Catalog (off-site link).
Test Your Knowledge Play the Safety Game
Source: Safe Kids USA