Safety Begins at Home

• Never leave young children unattended on changing tables, beds, couches or other furniture.
• Keep furniture away from windows so children cannot climb up to the window.
• Install window guards and baby gates at the top and bottom of all staircases at home.
• Always strap children in when using high chairs, infant carriers, swings and strollers.
• Use non-slip rugs on the floor and mats, or decals, in the bathtub or shower.
• Actively supervise children in playgrounds.
• Teach children that pushing, shoving or crowding while on the playground can be dangerous.
• Take your children to playgrounds with shock-absorbing surfaces such as rubber, synthetic turf, sand, pea gravel, wood chips or mulch.

• Protect your child from choking by being around at mealtimes.
• Never leave your child to play with small objects which he or she can choke on.
• Always keep plastic bags out of the reach of your child to prevent suffocation.
• Always place your baby on his or her back when sleeping to avoid suffocation.
• Tie window blind and curtain cords high up to protect your child from strangulation.
• Supervise your child while playing on a swing to avoid strangulation accidents.
• Make sure that children always wear “activity-specific” clothing. Adults should remove necklaces, purses, scarves or clothing with drawstrings that can get caught on equipment and pose a strangulation hazard and wear properly fitting safety gear when participating in recreational activities with children.

• Always store household products such as cleaners, chemicals and garden sprays in cabinets that are beyond the reach of children and can be securely locked.
• Buy household products that are available in child resistant containers.
• Always store chemicals in their original containers.
• Do not take medicine in front of children and do not refer to medicine as candy.
• Put medicines away immediately after use.
• When you have visitors at home, make sure they keep their purses, bags, etc., out of your child’s reach.

• Keep children away from hot foods or liquids.
• Keep pot handles turned inwards towards the back of the stove.
• Keep hot foods and drinks away from countertop or table edges.
• Never hold a child while cooking food or having hot drinks.
• Remove table covers that can be pulled by children.
• Keep lighters, matches and lighter fluids away from children’s reach.

Safety during bath time

Most children love their bath time. This is why it is important to keep bath time a fun and safe time. Research shows that skin burns can be serious even if the skin is only in contact with high temperatures for one second or even less if the temperature is higher. The table below shows how fast skin can burn under high temperatures and the safe temperatures for bath time.

Safety in your kitchen

• Never leave food on stovetops unattended during cooking.
• When cooking leave pot handles towards the inside of the stovetop.
• Keep flammable objects away from stovetops, ovens and electricity outlets.
• Keep flammable objects out of children’s reach.
• Turn stove and oven off when leaving the kitchen.
• Turn off all electrical appliances when leaving the kitchen.
• Never leave children in kitchen unattended.

What to do in the case of a fire

• If you or anyone else catches fire use the stop, drop and roll technique to put it out.
• If you are caught under smoke, place a small shirt or towel on your mouth and nose, crawl on your knees to the nearest exit.
• Call 999 as soon as you can, or call out for help.

Home Safety

• Don’t leave babies and young children alone in the bathtub. Bathing seats or flotation devices may be used. However you should still watch your child all the time while in a bathtub.
• Don’t leave babies and young children alone around buckets filled with water. Empty the buckets after each use and keep them out of children’s reach.
• Supervise young children’s entering and exiting the bathroom. Consider placing a latch on the door.

Pool Safety

• In a pool, don’t let your child use inflatable swimming aids (such as ’water wings’) without constant supervision.
• As a parent, learn to swim if you don’t already know how. Also, learn swimming survival and rescue techniques.
• Be sure that your child swims only when a watchful adult who can swim is present, even if your child knows how to swim.
• When visiting public or private pools, make sure that your children are supervised closely and that they are familiar with safety rules.
• If there is a pool at your home make sure pools are fenced off and have covers that lock. Don’t let a child out of your sight while you are doing yard work or other outdoor activities.
• Never let your child swim in any fast-moving water.

Beach Safety

• Before going to the beach check the tide and weather forecast.
• Check out the beach for warning signs and safety flags when you arrive.
• Do not let your children swim alone in the sea even if they can swim.
• Watch your children at all times when on the beach.
• Beware of the tide, rocks and piers.
• Keep your children away from cliffs and steep slopes.