How to Prevent Accidents in the Home

Accidents tend to happen in the late afternoon and early evening, and during holidays or weekends, when tiredness, hurrying, distraction, or unfamiliar surroundings may play a part.

The most serious accidents happen in the kitchen and on the stairs. Young children, up to age four, are most at risk, with boys more accident-prone than girls. Younger children are at more risk of burns, scalds, and poisoning accidents, while older children are more likely to suffer fractured bones.

Choking and Suffocation

• Children under six should not be given peanuts to eat. If accidentally inhaled, these could lodge in the lung, causing severe illness.
• Keep tiny items, like marbles, watch batteries, and coins, away from under-threes. Teach older children to keep small toys out of reach of younger ones.
• Pull-cords on blinds and curtains should be short.
• Flatten and knot plastic bags when using them for storage.
• Shut cats out of rooms where babies sleep, and use a pram net or cot net.

Burns and Scalds

Fires cause almost half of all fatal accidents to children, while scalds can cause painful and disfiguring injuries.

• Place pans on the cooker's back rings, and keep handles turned in.
• Keep matches and lighters where children can neither see nor reach them.
• Use a full-sized fireguard with fine mesh, secured to the wall.
• A hot drink spill can still scald 15 minutes after being made. Never hold a hot drink while you have a child on your lap, pass a drink over a child's head, or put a drink down on a low table.
• Turn down your boiler's thermostat a couple of degrees. Always run cold water into a bath first, and test the temperature with your elbow before a small child gets in.

Cuts

• Put stickers on large expanses of glass, such as patio doors, to draw attention to them.
• Fit safety glass in low-level windows and doors, or make non-toughened glass safer with shatter-resistant film. Buy greenhouses or cold frames that are safety-glazed, or fence them off.

Falls

Over one third of all children's accidents are falls, most of which involve tripping. The worst consequences follow falls from a height, including toppling from high-chairs or prams. Always use, and check, safety harnesses.

• Secure carpet and rugs firmly.
• Put safety gates, made to BS 4125 specification, at the top and foot of staircases.
• Board up horizontal balustrades and vertical ones with wide gaps between struts. Discourage climbing.
• Never put baby bouncers on tables.
• Fit safety locks on all upstairs windows, but make sure you can locate keys swiftly in an emergency. Don't put furniture - or a pram or buggy - under a window if a child could use it to reach the window.

Drowning

Small children can drown in less than 3 cm (1 in) of water. Always supervise children when in and near water, and be vigilant when visiting gardens and garden centres.

• Empty paddling pools between uses.
• Fit safety tops on water butts and drain ponds or fence them securely.
• Never leave babies or children younger than five alone in the bath. Stay in earshot at bathtime at least until they are six.
• Don't leave buckets or bowls of water unattended.

Poisoning

• Before buying plants check that leaves and fruits are not poisonous.
• Keep chemicals and medicines out of children's sight and reach, preferably locked away. Even seemingly innocuous preparations, such as iron supplements, can be harmful to children.
• Always keep household or garden chemicals in their original containers. Buy containers with child-resistant caps.
• Don't leave alcoholic drinks where children could sample them.