Providing a safe environment for your children is a blow-by-blow experience and a
constant challenge to your imagination. For the first few years they grow at an incredible
rate, both in physical and mental capabilities. During these first years they look to you
for all their needs, including protection from themselves and your environment.
These pages are published with the thought
that the best defense against common household accidents involving young children is
intelligent prevention with a planned and instituted program of child safety. Before a
program can be instituted there must be an understanding of what represents a danger to a
young child.
Ordinary household items can be very hazardous
to young children. Even with the best supervision, their ability to get themselves into
trouble is uncanny. Once a child is up and moving around, his world expands rapidly. Your
task is to be aware of what potentially dangerous situations he could get into long before
they can happen. If this is not your first child, do not assume that he will not do one
thing or another just because other children did not. This can actually put an experienced
parent at a disadvantage. Lucky once does not necessarily make you lucky twice.
 Accident prevention and safety awareness are skills that need practice, sort
of like a sixth sense for danger.
Most children will learn safety from their
mothers. It is your attitude on safety and how you react to situations that will influence
your children for the rest of their lives. This attitude will determine how they regard
their own safety and that of others around them.
Mothers are often torn between keeping a baby
safe (for example, by limiting his area to a playpen) or allowing him to explore with more
freedom. Obviously a child cannot be confined forever. With your awareness of potential
dangers that exist in your home, a few safeguards, and good supervision, your little
person can begin to expand his world, making new discoveries all the time.
The responsibility of the primary caretaker in
the home produces a stress unlike any other job. A good safety awareness program can add
the necessary confidence needed to let your child explore without needless interruptions
for a NO-NO and help get him through this wonderful age of curiosity, experimentation, and
daily adventure without the havoc contributed by unnecessary accidents.
As you read, keep in mind that there are no
"cure alls" for accidents. Some accidents will still happen no matter how hard
you work at avoiding them. Minor injuries are a part of learning and a result of your
child's exposure to the world around him.
A child must, however, be taught what is an
acceptable level of risk and what is not. A simple example is learning to walk and run.
There is an acceptable level of risk involved in this learning process and you should
expect the associated bumps and bruises from falling. This risk of minor injury is part of
the price we pay for learning to become mobile. However, running through the house near
furniture with sharp corners or on a slippery surface around the pool present risks of a
much more serious nature without any benefit to be gained -- unacceptable!
Your education along with firm guidance in
your child's education are the keys to accident prevention and safe living.
Providing for your children and enjoying their
very presence is what we have come to feel are the most generous rewards life gives us.
This joy can also be your most devastating pain if all is not well.
You cannot be sold on living safely and we
certainly don't need anymore laws. It is a personal decision and preference, just like
wearing a seat belt while driving a car. You determine and set what are acceptable
risks in almost everything you do each day. Choose wisely -- someone else is depending on you.
| Recommended Books
Feed Me, I'm
Yours - Vicki Lansky
I'll Tell You a
Story, I'll Sing You a Song - Christine Allison
Dr. Mom's
Parenting Guide - Marianne Neifert, MD
Practical
Parenting Tips - Vicki Lansky
Baby, Let's
Eat! - Reva Coyle
Dr. Mom: A
Guide to Infant and Baby Care - Marianne Neifert, MD
What to Expect for the
First Year - Arlene Eisenberg, Heidi Murkoff, Sandee Hathaway
Favorite Links
sacunda - Swimming Pool
Safety
Underwater pool alarm that alerts in 1 second.
Manhattan Childproofers
Child proofing service in New England.
Baby
Proofing Directory
Find a local baby proofing professional to
child proof your home.
HUGS Foundation
Educational site on near drowning accidents founded by caregivers of
survivors.
Totsafe
Child Safety and Childproofing
offers home child safety products including
gates, locks & latches, table cushions, and more! Includes interactive
home childproofing checklist, FAQs, and Ask The Childproofer.
Sure
Baby
Pregnancy calendars, baby name guides, and more.
Comfort Line
Products
Manufacturer of SPA-N-A-BOX and other soft-side portable spas.
Mamabear's Baby Boutique
Gift boutique offering unique gifts and keepsakes for new moms, expecting
moms and baby.
Pool Safety Alarms
Pool Safety Alarms for sale online with additional pool safety info.
JimSalmon.com
The One Stop Shop for Home Repair Resources.
BabyZone
Your pregnancy, parenting and family planning community and resource!
Keep
Kids Healthy!
Great, award winning site by a pediatrician in Texas. Definitely worth
a look.
About
Cerebral Palsy
Describes Cerebral Palsy causes, symptoms,
definition, diagnosis, and treatment. Provides details about Spastic,
Ataxic, and Athetoid Cerebral Palsy in children.
ParentsDataBase
Great
question and answer site!
Foundation for
Aquatic Injury Prevention
Yourbaby.com
Playmusic.org
Internet Public Library
Father's World
Parents.com
Old Farmer's Almanac
FleetKids.com -
Great Games
A NanniNet Nanny
Directory
kidsDoctor.com
Ask an Expert!
Parent
Resources!
www.shoobkids.com
A safe, non-slip sole is just one of
the many features of these baby shoes (0-24 mos). Check
them out!
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