What are weekday mornings like in your household? In my household they are incredibly demanding as I’m rushing about trying to get two children washed, dressed and fed before taking one daughter to school and the other to nursery (if it’s a nursery day). Like any family, we have the occasional near miss.
It turns out that Child Safety Week kicks off today and runs until 29 June. This annual event is organised by the the Child Accident Prevention Trust (CAPT) and it’s the charity’s main annual, education campaign.
To mark the occasion, CAPT has published the results of a survey into accidents and near-misses that have occurred in the early-morning rush. The survey, carried out by OnePoll in late May / Early June, found 30% of parents admitted their child had either suffered a serious accident or a near miss during the morning rush (I look at the figure of 30% and wonder if 70% would be more honest!).
The main dangers were found to be:
- Pulling a hot drink over themselves (34%)
- Touching hot hair straighteners (26%)
- Stepping out in front of traffic (25%)
- Falling down the stairs (23%)
- Getting into liquitabs or cleaning substances (11%)
The one I’m quite surprised is not on that list is children getting hold of medicines. I can think of a few people I know who have had near misses with medicines that were left in easy to reach locations.
Thinking back to my own childhood, I apparently drank a bottle of perfume when I was thirsty one day. I won’t reveal the advice given to my mother by the emergency services lest anyone try and repeat it. Let’s just say my mother did as she was told and it seemingly did me no harm. It does, however, surprise me that more people’s children haven’t had accidents with health and beauty products because they are easy to leave lying around without appreciating they can carry a health risk.
I’ll leave the final word to Katrina Phillips, CAPT Chief Executive “Mornings are a mad rush in most homes. Parents are up against the clock to get children dressed, fed and off to school or nursery, so it’s hardly surprising safety precautions get missed.
“But these can lead to devastating injuries. Hair straighteners get so hot you can fry bacon on them, causing deep burns to a baby’s hand. The concentrated detergent in liquitabs swells children’s airways, leaving a toddler struggling for breath. An older child can suffer brain damage if hit by a car.
“Simple changes to your morning routine can protect children from serious harm; whether that’s putting your coffee cup out of reach, popping your straighteners into a heat proof pouch to cool or practising road safety on the walk to school.”
More information and advice about how to keep you and your family safe can be found at www.childsafetyweek.org.uk.
8 thoughts on “Child Safety Week – do you takes risks in the morning?”
Why anyone would leave their straighteners in reach of a child baffles me, I must admit. I am afraid to use mine with small hands around…
Effy won’t touch a mug for fear of it being hot, I’ve screeched HOT HOT HOT at her too many times and she absolutely associates it with a word of danger. That said, drinks are the things that are so easily left in reach, I find myself moving cups of anything from precarious positions when in the company of those who don’t have small children. Yes, a mug left on the floor while my toddler plays definitely wasn’t the best idea…
When I was a tot my worst incident was pulling a sink of top of myself. Toddlers and antiques shops do not mix.
It is harder with more children more demands on your attention c has pulled a mug over by pulling the table mat it was on that i thought was out of reach. It wasnt hot and he’s so strong he just held the mug spilled a little on his high chair. He’s pulled a mug down on me when I picked him up and it was on a shelf behind me somewhere safe!! I am extremely careful with hair straighteners and only use when kids down stairs and they go away immediately it’s impossible to prevent everything we have to teach them that things are dangerous and to be careful rather than trying to prevent everything ourselves
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Glad you mentioned the medicine one – weve had a couple of near misses and things are now on the highest shelves – one miss came from our eldest rooting through a bin I had thrown a have used packet away…as for hot drinks that is my worst nightmare!!
My aunt, when she was very young, pulled a saucepan of tomato over herself, right over her face and everything. You wouldn’t know it, she has no scars, but it is one of those incidents that has gone down in family folklore.
Thanks for flagging up Child Safety Week. You’re so right, in the morning when time is precious and I’m juggling the children, breakfast, clothing, getting to school on time that’s when accidents can happen. My mum always says “more haste, less speed, fewer accidents” and its something I try and remember. The make up / perfume point I hadn’t even thought about – not that I get to wear much make up any more – but it’s something that I have lurking around on bedroom dressers etc. It’s made me think. #bloglovin
Thanks for commenting Tracey. Child Safety Week has also got me thinking and I’ve moved a few items that the kids could easily have got their hands on. I guess make up will do less damage to your kids than medicines…but it can be a pain to get out of your carpet. I know this from personal experience!
Thanks for bringing this up. There are a lot of parents out here who needs to be reminded.