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The 15 Biggest Safety Mistakes
Monica Montalti of North Bellmore, New York, had considered her house well childproofed since her children, now 6 and 3, were babies. "We had plugs in all the outlets and latches on the entertainment center," she says. "But because my older son never touched anything, I guess I let my guard down with my younger one." The day of reckoning: Montalti frantically dialing Poison Control after finding her 3-year-old, Kevin, gagging, with Orange Oil Pledge all over his shirt. The near-empty bottle lay next to him. Luckily, Kevin had just saturated a dish towel with the polish to help "clean" and probably didn't consume much of the product. Still, the incident was enough to make Montalti reexamine her home for potential dangers.
Leaving household cleaners within reach is just one of the safety mistakes parents make every day. As a rule, we think we're pretty safety-conscious: We buckle our kids into car seats and install smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. But we could do better. Unintentional injury remains the leading cause of death among children. In 2000, more than 120,000 were permanently disabled from injuries, and 5,600 died. Children younger than 5 account for nearly half of such fatalities.
"Parents think if we just watch our kids, they'll be okay," says Gary Smith, MD, director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at the Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. "But accidents, by definition, occur quickly and without warning. All it takes is that one second when a hot cup of coffee is within reach or a door is left open."
Since mistakes are often our best teachers, here are some hazardous habits you might be guilty of -- and what you can do to correct things.
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I keep asking my partner why don't parents pay enough attention to the threat of fire and what that means to their children; especially toddlers? Fire happened to me and it was everything I could do to save my daughters. My experience led me to invent a product that can help children to see the doorway when fire strikes. I¿ve set up a website with a video of how easy it is to use and you can see this amazing inexpensive new safety tool works: www.TheLightThatSavesLives.com.
5/11/2011 05:19:42 PM Report AbuseRear facing children in car seats is the safest. The problem is that my child weighed only 17lbs and was too long to fit backwards. I had no choice becuase her legs were bent when facing backward.
4/22/2011 01:24:19 PM Report AbuseWELL DONE!
3/23/2011 12:35:06 AM Report Abusehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvyIv9QVRBE
3/1/2011 08:36:50 PM Report AbuseTo all, you can go to your local Sheriff's Dept. and ask one of the deputies or the sheriff to check out your car seat-to make sure it's not recalled, is installed safely and correctly and in good working order-we live in a small town, but we were able to do this in both my husband's car and mine.
2/23/2011 02:00:11 PM Report Abuse"Don't be tempted to purchase mirrors..." And, how are you supposed to see your rear-facing child from the driver's seat? I have a mirror-it is attached to the seat and I can see my baby-the mirror is made of a plastic and (God forbid) but in the event of a crash, I suuppose it could fall on him, but I have to be able to see him when he's in the car.
2/23/2011 01:59:59 PM Report AbuseI have to mention that at age 1-3 climbing up on tables, dressers, etc is so dangerous. My grandson just pulled a dresser with a t.v. on top down ontop of him. Lucky he only had a minor cut, but this could have been a more serious injury. He is so lucky that the t.v. did not land ontop of him. he was after his movies that were on the dresser.
1/26/2011 05:00:17 AM Report AbuseI also was told age 2, thought it's not the law in MI - just safer. And it won't hurt her sweet chubby legs. :) So i'm just going to do that so in the event of an accident I can rest easy knowing I did all I could.
11/23/2010 11:08:05 AM Report AbuseI put my 11 month old in a front facing car seat cause she is a little dare devil and could slide the shoulder strap down and get out of her seat by herself. Luckily I have a pretty responsible 3 year od son that would notify me right away when this happened. We tried everything to keep her in there. No matter how tight we'd secure it. Finally we bought a front facing seat with secure lacthes in the front and legs. She is 13 months and hasn't gotten out of it yet.
11/22/2010 11:58:48 AM Report AbuseI turned my daughter's carseat around when she turned one in Apirl 2010. She was only about 18 lbs but I worried about her legs being crammed and she looks uncomfortable. I figure as long as I take advantage of the extra straps offered on the carseat, she will be fine. Her carseat has the hook and latch in the rear, middle seat belt, side to side latch, and I can use an over the shoulder seat belt. I use a combination whenever possible. Parents dont freak!
9/8/2010 09:07:27 PM Report AbuseI think all states are different. In CT you have to be 20lbs and one year old.
6/30/2010 02:49:22 AM Report AbuseRegarding the coffee hazard: YES this is soooo important!!! Just on mothers day I was having coffee after brunch. And the unimagible happened: The styrofoam cup melted in my hand and lap as I picked up the cup! I have a 3rd degree burn on my thigh and hand. Hopefully the scar will go away in a few years. Needless to say it hurt so badly that I screamed on top of my lungs that the whole restaurant froze to see what happened. The good part is my 1 year old was NOT on my lap- imagine if he was?
5/18/2010 03:10:30 PM Report AbuseI think parents have their own judgment. If you listen to everyone then you will be a crazy. Take advise and make your the best decision. My son was 10 m., weighed 23lbs(he was long too, he was not fat) and the doctor told me if he is mature and strong enough then he can be put in a forward seat. He is now 17 months old and in a booster already at 36lbs. I went to got my 8 yr old, who is 4'1'', a booster from the fire depart and she said he was big enough. So parents don't go crazy lol.
4/6/2010 03:28:26 PM Report AbuseMost convertible car seats are "rear facing" up to 35 pounds, material on the internet state at the earliest children should be forward facing at 22 pounds AND (not or) 1 year old. A Safety 1st specialist told me that I could leave my son rear facing as long as he is comfortable and under 35 pounds (in an accident, rear facing introduces less trama). My son is 31" long but only 21 pounds and is 1 year old. I still have him rear facing because he is not uncomfortable when the seat is tilted.
3/16/2010 05:11:09 PM Report AbuseI'd like to mention that you should introduce children to police officers, too. In my town, police are first responders to any emergency call. What that means is often the police beat the fireman to the sceene of the emergency. We as officers often start treatment or try to contain fires until the fireman arrive.
3/2/2010 02:31:29 PM Report Abusemy kids' doctor told me that once they reach 20 pounds, they are supposed to be put in a forward facing carseat. If they had to be 30-35 pounds, then my 4 year old would still be in a rear facing seat and that would be impossible, that is WAY too big for a child to still be in a rear facing one.
2/23/2010 09:03:26 PM Report Abuseno my daughter weighs 22 pounds and is in a front facing car seat and her dr is fine with it and as long as your child can fit properly in the front facing car seat and be buckled in it they will be fine . if your not sure i know this might sound crazy but i did it call your local police department and talk to them about it and give them info and they will give you info on all that stuff .
2/17/2010 06:35:40 AM Report AbuseReally? My daughter is almost 3 and is nearly 25 pounds. I think she will be 4 before she is 30 pounds. Should I go back to a rear facing car seat? she was 18 months before I could put her in a front facing seat and we have another one on the way.
2/10/2010 01:51:36 PM Report AbuseI just took my 9 month old in for her well visit and was informed by our doctor that children should remain rear facing until they reach 30-35 lbs and age 2. That if the child's feet touch the seat or their knees are bent will not harm them in any way but that it is much safer to keep them in the rear facing position.
2/10/2010 11:22:52 AM Report Abuse