We can’t wrap our children up in cotton wool, even though most of us would like to! No one wants to think of their child getting hurt, which is why parents will do anything to keep them safe and sound.
Sadly, circumstances are often out of our control and despite the safety measures we put in place, accidents and injuries still happen. If you want to locate a PI lawyer in Texas after an accident involving another family member or yourself, click the link.
However, if parents learn to recognize and make themselves familiar with the most common types of accidents and scenarios that could leave their children injured, then their little ones could be a bit safer.
Read on to discover the worrying ways your children could get hurt and how you can prevent it.
Car accidents
As mentioned above, sometimes circumstances are out of our control. And even if you’re a diligent and safe driver, if you’re suddenly faced with someone who is distracted behind the wheel or drunk driving, then your own safety or the safety of your little ones is difficult to control.
Despite not being able to control who else uses the roads, parents can still influence the outcome of a crash. Ensuring all children are wearing seatbelts and are adequately restrained in properly fitted car seats that are the right size for their age, height and weight, will help reduce the likelihood of catastrophic injuries. Advising your children to not distract the driver whilst they’re in the backseat is also a good idea!
Drowning
As a parent, it’s easy to imagine that it’s incredibly unlikely that your child would drown. After all, if you went to a local pool or the beach, you’d be watching your child, there’d be a lifeguard present and you’d recognize if they were in trouble…sadly, that’s just not always the case.
Whenever supervising your children around water, you need to watch them carefully. Stay off your phone and away from other distracting activities. Recognize the signs of drowning – it may look different to what you think, and be wary of letting your children play where water has collected, including the pond at grandma’s house, the bathtub you’re filling up, and even the toilet!
Choking
Defective and dangerous toys are often the cause behind childhood choking cases. Defective toys that break apart or those that are a serious choking hazard like marbles and balls should be kept well away from children and babies.
Keeping your home tidy and keeping track of the toys that your children play with can help. Also, ensure any defective toys are disposed of properly. And brush up on your first aid skills so as a last resort, you can help a choking child.
And finally, injuries at school
If there’s one place that your child should be safe, it’s at school. However, injuries and accidents at school can be quite common – cuts and lacerations, trips and falls, head injuries, choking or even accidental strangulation on play equipment.
It doesn’t bear thinking about, but if you want to ensure your child’s safety at school, reach out to the school for a rundown of their safety procedures.