Young children are totally dependent on us to make sure their environment is a safe place to live. Unintentional injury is the leading cause of death of children in the United States. Each year many children are hurt, maimed, and die due to preventable injuries. Make your house a safe place for your child to live and grow and help keep him from becoming a statistic.

Burn Prevention

Each year many children are injured as the result of burns. Per www.safekids.org , in 2002, over 22,000 children under the age of fourteen were treated for scalding burns. Burns are among the most painful injuries a person can sustain. A burn victim may have lifelong scars as well as skin grafts and psychological trauma. The most common burn injury among children results from liquids or steam. In order to prevent your child from becoming a victim, take care to monitor your stove at all times during cooking. Make sure pot handles are turned inward where a child cannot reach. Use your stove’s back burners if possible. Be careful with microwave cooking as well. Some burns are received due to children pulling items from the microwave and scalding themselves. Keep hot foods and liquids off countertop edges.

Matches and lighters should be kept out of a child’s reach. Children can be fascinated by fire and not realize the danger of it. Be sure you have smoke alarms installed to alert you in the event a fire does occur.

To keep your children safe in your bathroom area, check the temperature of hot water. Your water heater’s thermostat should be set at 120 degrees Fahrenheit or below. A child’s skin is thinner than an adults and will burn more easily. If exposed to a water temperature of 140 degrees Fahrenheit, a child can suffer a third-degree burn in three seconds. Also, be sure to keep curling irons and heated curlers away from children. If you must leave them unattended, be sure to close the door and ensure your child does not enter the room.