Infant/Toddler Safety Hazards and Situations

In the infant and toddlers age groups many hazardous situations/safety threats are present. It is in a young child's nature to explore their environment through their senses. Our job is to identify those situations and threats to make a safe environment. The five things that I have chosen to talk about are some common but looked over hazards. They are garbage cans, purses/diaper bags/coat pockets, safety belts in infant equipment, water safety and choking hazards on the floor.
Garbage cans not only pose a health issue but also a safety issue. There maybe small choking hazards as well as sharp objects located in them. In childcare settings all garbage cans must have a lid and be kept out of reach whenever possible. As stated keeping a cover on the can and putting it out of reach of children are the best measures to take. Storing it under the sink or behind a door would be ideal. Knowing what is in the garbage is also a good preemptive measure. Families can do all of these things at home keep children safe around garbage. We as educators need to start by the teaching children. Hopefully the children will take that knowledge back how and help educated the rest of the family or at the very least start important discussions about the topic.
Any personal carry items are a danger to children. People carry such things as vitamins, medications, weapons and cosmetics. All of these can be very harmful to children if touched or ingested. All purses, coats and diaper bags should be out of reach of children. It is actually a regulation that these items be out of the reach of children at all times preferably in locked storage. Parents can follow these guidelines at home as well. Keeping purses and coast in closets and medications in cabinets that are inaccessible to children is important. Any visitors should be expected to follow these rules as well when coming into the daycare or home environment.
Falling out of infant equipment is a very real danger. There are safety straps on many infant items such as high chairs, bouncy seats and swings. These are there to keep a child in the seat and prevent them from falling out of them. They should always be used in these pieces of equipment as a fall from them can cause serious injury. It is required in childcare settings that these safety belts are always used. Families can eliminate the fall risk at home by following the same practices and habits of always buckling children in to equipment. Getting the children in the habit and explaining to them why we do such practices will carry over into their home lives. Teaching the child to remind parents that they need to be strapped in (if they are able to do so) would be one way to carry over this safety procedure to home.
Children are always going to be around water and even and inch of water can be dangerous. They need to be watched at all times around any type of water. The temperature of the water is also a concern; water should never be set above 120 degrees. In childcare we are not allowed to have any type of pool or buckets with water in the children's reach. Water may be used in a sensory table but only with direct, constant supervision. At home parents need to always watch children in the bath and around other water sources. They can also change water heater gauges to only heat to no greater than 120 degrees.
Infants need to have time to explore their environment through tummy time or crawling. Most people are aware of toys that pose choking hazards but do not take the time to do a check of floors. There is an unwritten rule in childcare that anything that an infant can find will go into their mouth. Many things may fall onto the floor or be tracked in on shoes and clothing. Doing a check of floor areas before and during an infant playing is crucial. At child care and at home we need to do constant “sweeps” of floor areas and watch infants to see if they find something.
A good way to promote safety at home as well as in your facility is send out a newsletter with various topics included. In this newsletter have a section for a safety tip. Encourage the parents to make time to read the newsletter with their child(ren) with making it a point to discuss the safety tip.