Safety at Home Week, August 23-27, 2010

This week has been designated by the Safe at Home organization as Safety at Home Week.  This organization is a member-driven group whose focus is safety in and around your home.  They’ve chosen to select a week out of the year to:

… promote and emphasize safety in and around the home to eliminate senseless home-related injuries.

As a Case Manager and someone who often has the opportunity to be in the homes of patients/clients, I thought I would share the following three safety issues we have seen when overseeing the care of children at home.

1. Injuries or SIDS as a result of sleeping with a baby or not having the baby properly positioned in his or her bed
2. Accidental burns from pots and pans, coffee  makers or bathtub water
3. Falls

Obviously, there are risks involved when having an infant sleep in the parents’ bed.  The most obvious is a parent turning over onto the infant and injuring them in some way or possibly suffocating him or her.

Where SIDS is concerned, there is a lot of research that has been done into the causes and prevention.  One of the most important steps to take to prevent SIDS is putting the child to sleep on his or her back.  The highest risk time frame is between the ages of two and four months.  For more information, follow the links in this section.

In regards to the kitchen, it is extremely important to be sure youngsters are supervised when they’re in the room.  The skin of children is thinner than an adult’s, so the severity of their burns is worse with less exposure.  Here are some tips from Safe Kids Kansas that could help prevent a child in your care from being hurt:

• Never leave a hot stove unattended. (Unattended food on the stove is the number-one cause of home fires.)
• Never hold a child while cooking or carrying hot items.
• Cook on back burners whenever possible, and turn all handles toward the back of the stove.
• Don’t allow loose-fitting clothing in the kitchen.
• Keep hot foods and liquids away from the edges of counters and tables. Be especially careful around tablecloths — children can pull hot dishes down onto themselves.
• Tie up the electrical cords of small appliances. A toddler playing with a dangling cord can pull a toaster or microwave down from a countertop.

As far as bathtub water, just keep in mind that a child’s skin burns easier, so don’t use your own skin as a measurement of how hot the water should be for the bath.

According to an article at Safe Kids Oregon, for children under the age of 4, 80% of injuries related to falls occur in the home.  Between the ages of 5 and 14, the risk decreases, but is still 45%.  The risks are all around a child in the home from the stairs to the changing table to baby walkers and even windows!  Be sure to take extra precautions with securing windows, by not leaving babies unattended on furniture that is high off the ground, and keeping a very close eye on a child in a walker.

These three areas of safety in the home are those that I have seen most commonly, however, that does not mean there aren’t other causes, as well.  There is a wealth of information available on how to keep a child safe at home.  I hope these three tips will motivate parents and caregivers to learn more.

We would also welcome any comments you might have related to children and safety at home.

PARENT ALERT: Infant Slings

If you have recently had a baby, are soon anticipating the arrival of a baby or are the caregiver of a young infant, you need to be aware of a very recent advisory that has been issued by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

The CPSC wants parents of babies who are younger than four months (and all those responsible for caring for them) to exercise caution when using infant slings.  More than a dozen deaths have been linked to the sling-like carriers in the last 20 years (three in 2009).  In an effort to resolve future issues with the carriers, the Commission has added the infant slings to its list of durable infant products requiring mandatory standards.

There are two specific warnings that should be heeded in regards to using the infant slings.  First is the basic hazard that can be presented by the fabric of the sling being pushed up against a baby’s nose and mouth, which can prevent the baby from breathing.  Because the infant’s neck muscles are not strong enough to control its head, the baby can’t do anything to move its face in order to breath.  An infant as young as four months can suffocate within a couple minutes.

The second way a baby can be harmed is if the infant is placed in the sling in such a way as to end curled up in a “c-shaped” position, with its chin resting toward the chest.  This can cause the baby’s airways to be restricted, limiting the oxygen supply and, again, causing suffocation.

Preventive measures for keeping your infant safe while using an infant sling should include the following points:

• Keep the infant’s face visible and uncovered, chin up, assuring nose and mouth are free
• Don’t allow the baby to slide down into a slouched position (c-shape), chin resting on chest
• Be sure the baby’s face does not roll and point toward the carrier’s body
• Frequently check the baby and its position in the sling

To keep informed on CPSC warnings and recalls, you can visit this CPSC link.