The transition from infant to toddler is a crucial developmental stage when a child’s world and mobility expand exponentially. The toddler revels in her new-found freedom to explore her environment, test limits and constantly investigate the novel. It’s the job of the parent to encourage the joy of exploration while keeping the child safe.
Toddlers can reach, run and climb, open cupboards and get into drawers and toolboxes, but they have little idea of the danger posed by sharp objects, a hot stove, stairs or a swimming pool.
Child-related accidents tend to be very age-specific, so parents need to zero in on key dangers their child faces and implement proper safety measures.
Common causes of accidental death and injury in toddlers include: being unrestrained in an automobile accident; being struck by a car while playing in the driveway; drowning in a pool, tub or bucket; suffering a burn or scald; choking from food or small objects; accidental poisoning; and falls.
Auto accidents are the leading cause of injury-related death for children over the age of one. For children older than one and weighing 20 to 40 pounds, a forward-facing child-safety seat with a five-point harness is recommended.
Studies show that child safety seats are often improperly installed or that parents do not buckle the child in correctly. Many communities have regular inspections, with experts checking to see that the seat is properly installed and being used properly.
In September of 2002 a device known as LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) became mandatory on all new vehicles sold in the United States. Designed to make correct installation of car seats easier, LATCH car seats can still be used with existing car seat belts on older model cars.
Consistency is the key to car seat use in children. Parents need to insist on car seat use at all times and make it a non-negotiable item. Accidents happen at any time and having your child safely buckled in can mean the difference between life and death or serious injury.
Another serious danger for toddlers is the risk of being run over in driveways. Toddlers are small enough that they’re difficult to see if a driver is backing up, plus they lack the judgment to be aware of a reversing car as an older child might be. A two-pronged safety plan should be in place: 1) awareness on the part of parents, family and friends to always check for the whereabouts of a toddler when pulling in and out of driveway and 2) supervision of the toddler by the adult in charge.
Drowning. The highest drowning rate among children is in toddlers and infants. Most of these incidents involve children left unattended who drown in bathtubs, swimming pools or even buckets.
Bathtubs pose a special hazard if parents leave toddlers unattended for even a minute or two to answer the door or the phone. It takes only seconds for a toddler to slip under the water and drown.
Siblings a few years older than the toddler should never be used to supervise a toddler in a tub or pool. Children have neither the judgment nor the strength to react appropriately when a toddler gets into trouble.
Swimming pools, lakes and other bodies of water are hazardous for curious toddlers who have no concept of the danger they pose.
Fenced pools with self-closing and locking gates, alarms on inside doors leading to pool areas, and pool covers can all help protect young wanderers, but there is no substitute for constant supervision by a responsible adult around water.
It may sound improbable, but a number of toddlers drown in buckets every year. Often implicated are the large five gallon industrial buckets with hard sides. These buckets don’t tip easily and a number of toddlers have drowned falling head first into these buckets even with as little as five or six inches of water in the bottom.
Burns and Scalds. It’s easy to eliminate one source of burns: turn your hot water temperature down to 120 degrees Fahrenheit or lower. That way your child can’t be scalded by turning on the hot water tap in the sink, shower or tub.
Preventing other types of burns or scalds requires more vigilance, especially in the kitchen. Try to keep toddlers away from the stove area when you are cooking or opening the oven. Make sure all pot handles are turned inward on the stove and never hang out over the edge of the stove where a child might reach up and grab one.
Coffee pots, teapots and hot water jugs, especially if they are plugged in should be placed well away from the edge of tabletops and counters. If appliances have cords, it’s important that cords don’t dangle or be located where children might inadvertently pull or become entangled in them.
Childproofing Your Home means having spaces where it’s safe for a child to explore and play in freely. This allows the toddler to satisfy his curiosity without the parent having to constantly say “no” to every new urge.
• Look for things at your toddler’s eye level and within his reach.
• Place desirable items within reach and dangerous items out of view.
• If you have older children, make sure that toys with small parts a toddler might swallow are picked up and stored out of reach.
• Keep medications, vitamins, hair and beauty products, perfumes and cleaning supplies, including dishwasher detergent, locked up in high places.
• Put safety locks on drawers or cupboards with harmful items.
• Make sure all electrical outlets have plug covers
• Install cordless blinds or else be sure to wrap cords high on wall hooks.
• Check window screens to be sure your child can’t push them out and fall if he leans against them.
• Guard against falls by putting safety gates at the top and bottom of stairs.
• Keep knives and sharp objects in a safe place, well out of reach.
• If you have a gun in your home, make sure it is kept unloaded in a locked cabinet and that bullets are kept in a separate locked place.
The mobile toddler years are a challenge to parents. Awareness and planning for a safe environment are key strategies. But the single, most important thing parents can do that encompasses all aspects of toddler safety is constant supervision by a responsible caretaker. When it comes to toddlers, safety and supervision go hand in hand.
Tana N Kaefer, PharmD
