Experts Remind Parents to Keep Infants from Strings, Cords After Chesterfield Tragedy

The Wednesday who accidentally got caught in the loop of a window blind cord is a tragic reminder for parents to follow safety guidelines in their homes.

The Home Safety Council, a national nonprofit group dedicated to preventing home-related injuries that result in an average of nearly 20,000 deaths and 21 million medical visits each year, cites the following guidelines for keeping your infants safe.

Sleeping, Playing and Room Safety

• Put babies to sleep alone on their backs. Keep pillows, blankets and toys out of cribs. Don't hang anything with strings or ribbons over cribs. Mobiles should be removed once the baby starts to sit up.
• Keep children away from buttons, coins, jewelry and toys that are choking hazards. If something is small enough to fit in a toilet paper tube, it is not safe for little children. 
• Read the labels of all toys before you let your child play with them. Make sure toys are age-appropriate. 
• Cut your toddler's food into very small bites. 
• Always make sure children eat while sitting down. Do not let them have round food like peanuts or hard candy.
• Window blind cords should not have loops. Cut any loop in two pieces.
• Place blind cords high where children cannot get them.

Fire Safety

• Make sure a smoke alarm is inside or near every bedroom. Test each smoke alarm every month. Push the test button until you hear a loud noise. Put new batteries in your smoke alarms at least one time each year.
• If your smoke alarms are more than 10 years old, replace them with new smoke alarms.
• If possible, get “interconnected” smoke alarms. These alarms are linked together so if one alarm sounds, they all go off.
• Practice fire drills to make sure everyone can wake up to the sound of the smoke alarm.
• Use a baby carrier that leaves your hands free in case you have to crawl under the smoke to get outside.
• In a fire, go to your meeting place outside. Call the fire department from there. Do not go back inside for any reason. 
• Lock up all matches and lighters where children cannot see or touch them.

Preventing Falls

• Use safety gates at the tops and bottoms of stairs. For the top of stairs, gates that screw to the wall are more secure than “pressure gates.”Always use safety straps on high chairs, changing tables and strollers.
• Wipe up spills when they happen.
• Have window guards or window stops on upper windows. But make sure you can open the window fast in case of a fire.
• Cover the ground under playground equipment with a thick layer (9-12 inches) of mulch, wood chips or other safety material.

Poison Prevention

• Know the things in your home that are poisons.
• Look at the labels for the words “Caution,” “Warning,” “Danger,” “Poison,” or “Keep Out of Reach of Children” on the box or bottle. Remove all medicines and medical supplies from purses, pockets and drawers. Keep them locked up. 
• Put cleaners, medicines, alcohol and other poisons in a cabinet with a child safety lock or latch. Have child safety caps on all chemicals, medications and cleaning products.
• Know to call 1-800-222-1222 if someone takes poison. This number will connect you to emergency help in your area. Keep the number by every phone.
• Call 911 if someone is seizing.
• Have a service person check your heaters, stove and fireplaces every year to see that they work well. These are a source of carbon monoxide, a deadly gas you cannot see, smell or taste.
• Put a carbon monoxide (CO) alarm near the bedrooms in your home. A CO alarm will tell you if the gas level is too high.

Water Safety

• Drowning can happen very fast. Most of the time you will not hear someone drowning. Stay within an arm's reach of young children when they are in or near water.
• Have toilet lid locks and use them. Put locks on the outside of the bathroom door to keep children out. 
• Store large buckets turned over, so water cannot collect inside them. Very young children can drown in 1-2 inches of water.
• Put a fence all the way around your pool or spa. The fencing should be at least five feet high and a self-closing and self-latching gate. Always keep the gate closed and locked.
• Hot water burns like fire. Set your home water heater at 120 degrees Fahrenheit to prevent burns. Use a water thermometer to test bath water. The water temperature should be at 100 degrees F. 
• Babies and young children have thin skin. Install special tub spouts and shower heads that prevent hot water burns.

For more child safety information, visit www.homesafetycouncil.org, the American Academy of Pediatrics at www.aap.org or consult your child's pediatrician.