When your little one is a little adventurous and a bit of a daredevil, they will most likely get in an accident now and then. However, most accidents are classified as minor injuries and can be treated at home with your home first aid kit. When involved in an accident, your child will most likely need a tiny dab of an antibacterial, lots of hugs and probably a little rest. However, you might need to get to a pediatrician, or the ER, as soon as possible in some instances.

Here we share the most common childhood injuries and when you might need to get treatment.

Drowning

Drowning is a common cause of accidental death for children below five. Children under two years are at most risk of drowning because they are still developing their movement skills. The most common areas where drowning accidents happen include swimming pools, rivers, streams and ESPECIALLY bathTUBs. If your child drowns accidentally, conduct a first aid treatment to ensure they breathe before rushing them to a pediatric clinic for specialized treatment. Take the following steps to prevent drowning accidents in your home.

• Do not leave your toddler alone during baths.

• Fence off the swimming pool and have a restricted entrance.

• Always supervise your children and ensure they are within visual eye contact and reach whenever they are around a swimming pool or a river.

• Have everything you need before a bath and be within your arm’s reach.

• Empty water buckets and wading pools at all times.

• While at the beach, supervise your children and teach them to swim at a safe height.

• Always have a resuscitation chart in the pool area.

• As a caregiver, get training on first aid treatments for drowning accidents.

Falls

Falls are some of the most common accidents among children of all ages. To assess how severe the injury is, check the height the child fell from, the surface the child fell onto and what the child might have hit during the fall. Here are some safety measures you can take to prevent injuries from falls in your home.

• Take a look at the home from your child’s level to determine potential places your child may stumble and fall. Clear all stumbling hazards from your child’s way. These include rugs, cords, furniture and so on.

• Do not leave the baby unattended on a changing table, and consider changing your baby on the floor on a large towel or mat.

• DO NOT USE baby walkers EVER. Baby walkers give the child the mobility to put themselves in danger unexpectedly.

• Install non-skid rubber mats in the bathroom and shower.

• Ensure you have soft fall material at the bottom of outdoor slides.

• Only use bunk beds for children over the age of nine.

• Keep the furniture away from windows so that your child does not climb and fall over. You should also install window guards and locks to prevent windows from opening wide enough for your child to fit through.

Burns

All homes should have a working smoke alarm in place. You should regularly change the batteries in smoke alarms at the end of the daylight saving period and test the alarm every month. It would be best if you also replaced smoke alarms every decade. Burns are major accidents and should always be checked and treated by a specialist after first aid. Burns can result from flames and scalding from hot liquids and hot surfaces.

All caregivers should have first aid training on attending to each of these accidents before rushing them to the hospital to a holistic pediatrician for further treatment. Below are some of the safety measures you can implement to prevent burns.

• Keep matchboxes, cigarette lighters and flammable liquids away from children.

• Install a safety switch in all sockets to prevent electrocution

• Check the labels for your children’s nightwear to ensure the manufacturer has indicated ‘low fire danger.’

• Have fire extinguishers in strategic places such as the kitchen, hallways and corridors.

• Have a home fire escape plan and rehearse it with your family.

• Teach your children some fire safety tips, such as: stop running if you catch a fire and roll on the floor.

• It would help if you also taught your child that they should crawl low through the smoke to the nearest exit in case of a fire.

• It would be best if you also had emergency contacts on your phone to get help

immediately in case there is a fire.

Poisoning

Toddlers are often curious and put everything they touch in their mouths. Children under five years are the most at risk of poisoning.Some of the products that cause poisoning among children include household products such as cleaners, bleaches and paints and medicines. Ingestion of poisonous substances is generally a severe accident, and pediatric care is necessary. Here are some tips to prevent poisoning accidents in your home. You can always call poison control at 1-800-222-1222

• Store medicines and household products that are dangerous away from children.

• You should put away medicine and chemicals immediately after use.

• You should only remove the medicine from the package when you need to use it.

• Do not transfer medicine and chemicals into other containers.

• You should regularly clean your medicine cabinet and take unwanted or expired medicines to the nearest pharmacy for proper disposal.

• Rinse out liquid medicines and household products with water before disposing of them.

• Remove poisonous plants from your garden.

• Teach your children not to touch on step on insects in your garden, such as bees.

• Always check the temperature before giving food and drinks to a child.

Conclusion

Accidents in children are prevalent. As a parent, you must have measures in place to prevent them. Most importantly, children should always be supervised by an adult. However, in case of an accident, bring your child into your pediatrician’s office or urgent care whenever you are unsure of the extent of the injury.