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Common Injuries to Children in the Home


All parents want to keep their kids safe. Sometimes, knowledge is the best defense against accidents in the home. Here are a few facts about injuries to children at home:

Let's face it, kids fall, especially as they are learning to walk. Thus it is not surprising that falls cause the majority of domestic accidents among children. Falls account for 44 percent of all at-home child accidents.

Choking or strangulation is another unfortunate home injury that commonly occurs with children. Very young people will put many things into their mouths, or may even get tangled up in ribbon, scarves, or other potentially asphyxiating items. Be careful with bits of food, bottle or marker caps, coins, batteries, toys, and any other small objects in the house! Drawstrings on clothes, headbands, or other long string like things can also be dangerous.

Each day, more than 300 American children are treated in emergency rooms for accidental poisoning. Your child may be exposed to poison from swallowing shampoo, soap, cleaning products, vitamins, medicine, or other toxic products. Ingesting toxic plants is another danger. Breathing in carbon monoxide from gas appliances can also be a cause of accidental poisoning in children. Be aware!

For children up to age 14, drowning is still one of the leading causes of death, and even a very small amount of water can be dangerous to a child. Be cautious and always have your eye on kids when anywhere near bathtubs, whirlpools, swimming pools, toilets, buckets, ice chests, fountains, and other containers carrying water or ice.

Other common injuries include burns (including sunburns), cuts and scrapes, objects stuck in ears or noses, eye injuries (caused by sprays, dust, or other foreign objects), and pet bites.

Kids are curious, and they are learning about absolutely everything in their environment. Thus, it's up to parents to take precautions in the home. The best precautions you can take are childproofing your home, learning first aid, and keeping emergency numbers handy. These steps and more will go a long way to protecting your child from common injuries in the home.


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