Preventing Burn Injuries in Children

To stop burns at house

• Frequently verify electrical plugs and cords for dust or fraying. Put covers on electrical retailers that youngsters can attain.

• Preserve home equipment unplugged when not in use.

• You probably have a toddler or small baby at house, do not use a tablecloth. The kid might pull on the nook of the tablecloth, inflicting probably scorching objects to fall on them.

• Educate your baby what to do in case of a home fireplace. Apply your exit technique and educate them to remain out of the home as soon as they exit. Instruct them name 911.

• Educate your baby cease, drop, and roll if their garments catch on fireplace.

• Educate youngsters what smoke alarms sound like and what to do once they hear one.

• Educate your baby to keep away from lighters and matches. Preserve these things out of a kid’s attain.

• Earlier than putting a baby or toddler in a bath, verify the water temperature together with your hand and wrist. Don’t let youngsters contact the tap handles throughout a shower.

• Set your water heater to 120°F or decrease.

• Verify various heating gadgets for secure operation (electrical house heaters or kerosene heaters).

• Verify smoke detector batteries and clear and take a look at your smoke detectors as soon as a month.

• Change smoke detector batteries twice a yr. Select 2 dates which might be simple to recollect, equivalent to if you change your clocks, or on a summer time or winter vacation.

• Retailer dangerous chemical substances and cleaners in an space the place youngsters won’t be able to entry them.

• Earlier than utilizing a chimney or fire through the winter months, have them cleaned.

• All the time discard smoking supplies in a deep or moist receptacle.

• Do not overload electrical retailers.

• Throughout an influence outage, use flashlights as a substitute of candles.

• Preserve a fireplace extinguisher within the kitchen and storage. Ensure that members of the family know its location. Verify it periodically to verify it stays in good working order. Change it if essential.

To stop burns when cooking

• When working with a scorching liquid, preserve your baby safely away from the supply.

• When cooking with scorching oil or a deep fryer, preserve your baby a secure distance from the supply.

• When cooking, preserve pot handles turned inward on the stovetop and away from the sting of the range.

• In case you use a microwave to warmth your kid’s meals, take a look at the temperature earlier than giving it to your baby.

• Heating system or milk in a microwave may be harmful because the liquid doesn’t warmth uniformly. Some parts could also be hotter than others. Use a bottle hotter as a safer means to heat toddler system and milk.

• If you’re cooking on the range or within the microwave, do not maintain your baby as you take away objects from these home equipment.

• Earlier than utilizing barbecues or grills, clear them of grease buildup and use lighter fluid sparingly.

To stop burns when out and about

• Have your baby use a sunblock with an SPF of no less than 15 each time they’re within the solar. Use sunblock even on cloudy days. Apply sunblock 15 to half-hour earlier than solar publicity and reapply sunblock each 2 hours or after swimming and sweating. Preserve infants youthful than 6 months out of direct daylight. Use protecting clothes and shade. If protecting clothes and shade are usually not attainable, you may apply sunscreen to small areas of the physique, such because the child’s face and again of fingers.

• Do not let youngsters play with fireworks.

• Encourage youngsters to put on sneakers in the summertime and never stroll on scorching asphalt or scorching sand.

• When touring, select motels or motels which might be protected by each smoke alarms and a fireplace sprinkler system. Know the place lodge and motel exits are in case of a hearth.

• Prepare your youngsters to establish exits in public locations, theaters, live performance halls, and motels as quickly as they enter the buildings.

• Throughout Halloween, be sure that your baby is carrying a flame-retardant costume.

Christmas ornament security

Use the following pointers for Christmas security:

• Verify {that electrical} cords are usually not frayed

• Verify tree lights and decorations.

• Preserve bushes well-watered.

• Unplug all lights when leaving house for any size of time.

• Do not block an exit with Christmas decorations.