Staying safe in the great outdoors

Keep your kids safe outside

Kids can be a nightmare outside the home: into everything and racing off into the distance before you can grab them. Team that exuberance and sense of curiosity with their lack of judgment when it comes to what’s safe, and you have a potentially dangerous combination. That means it’s up to you to take precautions to keep your child from harm…

At the stores

A busy store is the ideal situation for a young child to wander off and get lost if he’s too big to fit in a shopping cart. You need to be vigilant – don’t let your attention wander.

• When you’re walking hold his hand or make sure he holds on to the stroller if he still uses one or has a younger sibling who rides in one.
• Teach him what to do if he gets lost. He needs to know his name, and phone number; address too if possible. He should know he can ask a shop assistant, a police officer or another mom with kids for help. Above all, he should know that he should shout for help if he’s scared.
• Conventional ‘stranger danger’ teaching that children shouldn’t talk to strangers isn’t always helpful. It’s not easy for a young child to understand who is a stranger, especially when there are occasions when he does have to speak to them – for example, if he has to ask for help. It’s better to teach your child that he must never go anywhere with someone he doesn’t know. Have a secret password that only you and he know, and teach him that he must never go anywhere with anyone who doesn’t know it.

Out playing or walking

Hundreds of child pedestrians are killed every year in accidents, so it’s vital to teach your child road safety as soon as possible. He needs to know how to cross the road safely and how to behave near a busy road.

• Don’t let toddlers walk beside a busy road by themselves, even if they’re usually well behaved. Use a safety harness and encourage your toddler to stay on the sidewalk or verge, well away from the curb.
• He should also know never to play anywhere near a busy road or driveway – backovers are common and the worse thing is that it is often a child’s parents who are driving the vehicle. Kids are shorter and harder to see in the rearview mirror, so teach your child never to play around or behind your car and if you’re pulling out always assume your child might be there and check thoroughly – lower your car windows so you can hear too.
• When you’re crossing the road, do it at a proper crossing wherever possible, and wait for the signal to cross (wait to make sure traffic stops too). Get your child involved – he can press the button to activate the traffic lights. When crossing, get him to look and listen and if there’s a traffic island in the middle of the road, always stop and check again that it is safe to cross. The key is to make your child aware that he must constantly check if it is safe to be on the road.
• Kids who are playing outside should wear bright colors so they’ll be seen by drivers. Make sure bikes and scooters have reflectors and insist your child wears a helmet and protective elbow and knee pads if he’s cycling, skating or skateboarding.
  
  

Kids are impulsive and constantly test the limits you set, but if you remind them it’ll begin to sink in

 

At the pool

Drowning is one of the main causes of accidental death in young children so watch your child at all times poolside, whether it’s your own pool or a public one.

• Never leave you child alone near water even if he can swim.
• Don’t treat the area around the pool as a play area – kids could fall in, so stow toys well away from poolside.
• Install a pool fence – bear in mind this may be a state law – with a self-locking gate so older kids can’t leave it open and endanger babies and toddlers.
• Learn how to do CPR.

In the yard

Your own yard, garage and shed if you have one, can be really dangerous for kids so follow these safety tips…

• Visit your library or do online research to find out what plants in your garden might be poisonous and dig them up. If your child does eat a plant, remove any pieces from his mouth and call your local poison control center for advice.
• Store pesticides and fertilizers well out of reach, preferably under lock and key, and keep kids away from areas where you’ve been using them.
• Keep lawn mowers, rakes, pruners and other tools away from kids, preferably in a locked shed. Make sure your child isn’t playing outside when you’re mowing or strimming, and never let your child sit on your lap on a ride-on mower. As an added precaution, set ride-on mowers so they don’t mow in reverse.

At the playground

More than 200,000 kids are injured in playground accidents each year, with most accidents occurring on public playground equipment when parents were present.

• Do a quick safety check before letting your child use playground equipment. Does it look well maintained or is it rusty, with sharp edges? Is there anything that’s too high for your toddler or preschoolers? Look for protective cushioned surfacing (mulch, rubber) underneath climbing frames and swings – it can help prevent head injuries if your child should fall (grass or packed dirt won’t absorb a fall).
• Your child needs to know exactly what he can and should not play on and that he should use play equipment properly. Teach him that he should never use anything he has to stand on his toes to reach, twist the swings around or walk in front of them if other kids are using them, or climb up the chute of the slide. And any time that he wants to move onto another piece of equipment, he should come to tell you first.
• If the weather is warm, always check that play equipment isn’t so hot to the touch that it could burn your child. If you live in a very hot climate, try to stick to playgrounds that have protective sun canopies over the equipment.

In the park

Parks don’t always mean playgrounds – a walk in the great outdoors is perfect for exercise and fresh air. But the balance between healthy exploring and hazards is delicate, so take some precautions.

• Keep away from water, and any dog exercise areas where your child could come into contact with dogs or their feces, which can contain parasites that are harmful to a child’s eyes.
• Teach him how to act around dogs: if one approaches him he should stand still, not run. Tell him not to try to pet any dog you see, or try to away anything (such as a ball or stick) it might be playing with.
• Watch out for broken glass, and avoid areas where long grass prevents you from seeing your feet, as well as meadows where there are lots of bees. If there are bees or wasps around don’t give your child soda or snacks which might attract them.
• Use bug repellent, especially if you live in an area where mosquitoes are common.
• Teach your child that you should be able to see each other at all times and that he must never wander out of sight.
• Small children love to pick up interesting objects but explain that he shouldn’t pick up trash, discarded food or cigarettes, and that he must never put anything he picks up into his mouth.
• Plants can be poisonous – teach your child never to put leaves or berries in his mouth.

 

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