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Every year in the U.S., approximately 12,175 children die from unintentional injuries and over 9.2 million children are treated in emergency rooms for non-fatal injuries, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). While it may be difficult to keep our adorable kids in one place, we are giving you 5 steps that can help keep them safe both indoors and outdoors!
1. Seat children in car seats or booster seats according to their age and size. Using a car seat can reduce the risk of death among infants in a passenger vehicle by 71%. Check out the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to learn how to install your child’s car seat. The CDC also offers the following guidelines to select the correct car seat.
2. Ensure your children use appropriate sports equipment and safety gear. Each year, over 2.6 million children visit the emergency department due to a sports-related injury. Not all of these injuries are severe, and many can be prevented by wearing safety gear and learning the proper techniques of the sport. Nemours Children’s Health System recommends buying gear that follows the standards set by the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE) and to check bicycle helmets have a sticker from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
3. Download safety apps for you and your family. Apps like Baby Food Allergy Tracker can help you make sure everyone in the family is protected. Baby Food Allergy Tracker allows you to keep track of which foods your baby has tried and the baby’s reactions to them.
4. Childproof your home. Safety gates are one of the first things that often come to mind when we think of preventing childhood injuries, and that’s because they are very effective in preventing infants from falling or entering dangerous areas. A few other actions you can take to make your home a safe space for children include:
- Install a safety gate
- Install smoke detectors
- Cover door knobs
- Store medications away from kids
- Cover outlets
Here are two thorough checklists to help you childproof your home: Consumer Product Safety Commission and Nemours Children’s Health System.
5. Make sure your children know their personal information and how to contact you. Sometimes injuries are inevitable, but a good medical response can improve the outcomes significantly. For those moments, teach your children their full name, address, and any allergies they might have. Make sure they also know where you work and how you can be contacted.
Ensure the safety of your children at home and on the go. Remember you can now get RapidSOS to receive a universal safety & security system right in the pocket of all your family members.
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