Home Safety for Infants & Young Children

According to Safe Kids Canada, each day 60 Canadian children under 5 years old visit the hospital for an injury suffered in the home. The leading cause of injury in the home is falls; for more information go to preventing falls among infants and young children. Other causes of injury in the home include burns, poisoning, drowning, choking, and suffocation. For information about preventing suffocation go to safe sleep for infants. Other home safety topics are addressed below.

Child development factors and injury risk factors

Scalds / burns	Babies and young children have thin, sensitive skin that burns easily and deeply. A child’s skin burns four times more quickly and deeply than an adults at the same temperaturePoisoning and choking
Poisoning and choking	Babies and young children learn and explore by putting things in their mouths. The risks of poisoning and choking increase as children grow and become more mobile and curious, and as fine motor skills improve.
Drowning	Babies rely entirely on adults to supervise them in, around, or near water. They are more likely to drown in the bathtub than in any other location. Toddlers and preschoolers are attracted to water but do not understand its dangers. They can drown quickly and easily in less than 1 inch (2.5 cm) of water.
Playing	Babies and young children need opportunities to move around and develop their fine motor and gross motor skills. Safe indoor environments can be a great place for the development of these motor skills.

Key messages for clients

SCALDS AND BURNS

The majority of scalds and burns occur in the home and are caused by contact with hot liquids. To reduce the risk of scalds, set the hot water temperature in your home to 49 degrees Celsius (or warm), and use strategies to keep hot liquids away from children. For example, ensure that hot liquids have cooled before serving them, use lids to avoid spills from hot adult drinks like coffee and cook on the back burner of the stove.
To reduce the risk of burns, teach your child not to play in the kitchen when you are cooking. If you have a gas fireplace, install safety gates around it. Be sure to check your smoke alarms regularly.

POISONING

The most common sources of child poisoning are medicine and vitamins, plants, cosmetics, and household chemicals. These and other poisonous substances are often packaged in child-resistant containers, but these containers are not child proof. All poisonous substances should be stored out of sight, out of reach, and locked up. When visitors come to your home or when you are visiting friends and family ask them to keep their purses and bags out of your child’s reach.

In the case of a suspected poisoning, call the Poison and Drug Information Centre (PADIS) immediately. You can call anytime from anywhere in Alberta toll free:

For poisoning emergencies and questions call The Alberta Poison Centre:
1-800-332-1414
403-944-1414 (in Calgary)
VOIP users, please dial direct at 403-944-1414

For medication and herbal preparation questions call The Alberta Medication Line:
1-888-944-1012
403-944-1012 (in Calgary))
VOIP users, please dial direct at 403-944-1012

CHOKING

Food is the most common cause of choking. Introduce your baby to solid foods as recommended by your health practitioner, and avoid serving foods that increase choking risk to children 4 years and under. These foods include nuts and seeds, meat with bones, large pieces of food like whole grapes, whole hotdogs, and raw vegetables, hard or gooey candies and gum, and spoonfuls of peanut butter. Serve your young child food that is cut into small, bite-sized pieces. Teach your child to sit calmly at the table when eating.
Keep small toys with removable parts and household objects, like coins and jewellery, away from young children. If an object is small enough to fit through a cardboard toilet paper roll, it can cause a young child to choke. Latex balloons or pieces of popped balloons can also cause choking, so use foil balloons for your child.
Keep small magnets away from children. Small magnets found in toys, jewellery or on the fridge can be very dangerous to children. If a magnet becomes loose it can be swallowed by a child. If more than one magnet is swallowed, they can attract one another increasing the risk of serious injury. If your child swallows one or more magnets seek medical care immediately.
Purchase children’s clothing that is draw-string free. Choose clothes that have other closures such as snaps, Velcro, elastic or buttons. If clothing has drawstrings, remove drawstrings from the hoods, waists, and bottoms of children’s jackets and other garments.
Make sure buttons and decorative items are fastened securely to all garments.
Have children wear a neck warmer or balaclava instead of a scarf.
Cut blind cords or secure them out of reach.

DROWNING

Drowning hazards in the home include bath tubs, toilets, sinks, and buckets. Other hazards are swimming pools and wading pools, lakes and rivers, wells, swamps, puddles, and irrigation ditches.
NEVER leave your child unattended in, around, or near water. Devices such as baby bath seats, life jackets, and water wings are not safe substitutes for adult supervision. Whether in the home or at the pool, active supervision is needed to help prevent drowning related injuries and deaths. Studies show that a lack of supervision is a major factor in drowning mishaps. Stay within sight and reach of your child when your child is in or near water.

Resources for clients

Refer parents and other caregivers to www.albertahealthservices.ca/injuryprevention.asp for injury prevention information about priority child safety issues.

Web links

Lifesaving Society of Alberta/NWT site includes public education support materials such as the 2010 Drowning and Injury Profile for Alberta and NWT which provides a picture of drowning fatalities in Alberta and the Northwest Territories based on the most recent data.
Poisoning and Drug Information Centre PADIS provides Albertans with the highest level of expertise and advice on the health effects of poisons, chemicals, medications, and herbal preparations.
Safe Kids Canada focuses on reducing unintentional injuries among children and youth in Canada. Site provides information for the public as well as evidence-based resources, activities and programs that health practitioners, teachers, and other professionals can use to deliver health promotion and injury prevention programs that meet the unique needs of their communities. Many resources are provided in different languages including some about scald and burn prevention, poisoning prevention, choking prevention, and drowning prevention.