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Safety Tips for Kids and Their Parents
Motor Vehicle Safety
Kids:
· Always ride buckled up in the back seat of the car in a child safety
seat or booster seat.
Parents:
· Infants should ride in a rear-facing infant seat until they are at
least one-year-old and weigh at least 20 pounds.
· Use a convertible or forward facing safety seat until the child
outgrows it - up to about four and when the child weighs 40 pounds.
· When children weigh more than 40 and up to 80 pounds use a
belt-positioning booster seat. Usually, children weighing more than 80
pounds are big enough to wear a lap-shoulder belt.
Bus Safety
Kids:
· While waiting for the bus, take five giant steps from the curb until
the bus has stopped completely.
· Stay seated at all times.
· Keep head, arms and hands inside the bus. Never throw anything out of
the bus window.
· Always hold on to the bus handrails to prevent falling.
· Be careful that clothing, book bags, and key rings don't get caught in
the handrails or doors.
· When getting off the bus, take five giant steps away from the bus,
and stay on the sidewalk.
· If you drop something near the bus, tell the bus driver. Otherwise, the
bus driver may not be able to see you.
Fire and Burn Prevention
Kids:
· Plan and practice a home fire escape plan.
· Know what to do when the smoke alarm sounds.
· Stop, drop, and roll if clothes catch fire. STOP immediately where
you are. DROP to the ground. ROLL over and over, covering your face and
mouth with your hands.
· "Cool a burn" any time you burn your skin. If you get
burned by touching a hot object or liquid, cool the area with cold water
for 10-15 minutes. Tell a grown-up about the burn.
· Matches and lighters are not toys. They are tools for grown-ups
only. Tell a grown-up if you find matches or lighters.
Parents:
· To avoid having clothes catch fire, teach children to stay away from
ignition sources such as matches, lighters, lit candles, fireplaces,
heaters, stoves, and grills.
· Every time you change your clock, change the battery in your smoke
detectors. Smoke detector batteries should be tested once a month.
· Choose a meeting place a safe distance from the front of your home
and mark it on the floor plan. Practice your escape drill at least twice a
year.
Kids:
· Call 9-1-1 if you need the police, fire department, or an ambulance.
Parents:
· When you call 9-1-1 you will need the following information:
· The type of emergency
· Your name
· Your address or the address of the emergency
· The telephone number you are calling from.
· Do not hang up the phone until the dispatcher tells you to.
Kids:
· If you find matches or a lighter, tell a grown-up and have the grown-up
pick them up and put them
in a locked cabinet
Parents:
· Keep all matches and lighters out of the reach of children, preferably
in a locked cabinet.
Poisoning Prevention
Kids:
· Take medicine only from a grown-up you trust.
Parents:
· Children are attracted to medications because of their shape, color,
and smell. All medicines and vitamins should be stored high in a locked
cabinet in child-proof containers. NEVER refer to medicine as candy.
Kids:
· Ask a grown-up before eating or drinking anything.
Parents:
· Because it can be difficult for children to understand the difference
between safe and unsafe items, children should always check with a
grown-up before eating or drinking anything.
Kids:
· Tell a grown-up if someone finds poison.
Parents:
· Always store poisons in the original containers so that you have
information needed by Poison Control. Keep the phone number for Poison
Control near all phones in you home.
· Install laboratory-listed carbon monoxide (CO) detectors inside your
home to provide early warning of accumulating CO.
· Have furnaces, water heaters and other fuel-burning appliances
inspected and cleaned, if necessary, yearly by a professional.
· Have your home tested for lead paint. Children can be poisoned by
ingesting dust from lead paint.
Firearm Safety
Kids:
· Tell a grown-up if you find or see a gun. Stay away from guns and
bullets.
Parents:
· If there is a gun in the house, it should be unloaded and locked away.
Ammunition should be locked and stored separately.
Bike & Pedestrian Safety
Kids:
· A helmet should be worn every time you ride a bike, scooter,
skateboard or in-line skate.
· Always ride bikes in safe areas and never at night.
· Always come to a complete stop before entering a driveway, path or
sidewalk. Look left, right, and left again for other bikes, cars, or
pedestrians.
· Use the proper hand signals when turning to let drivers know your
intent.
· Walk, don't ride your bike across the street, and cross only with a
grown-up.
· Children under 10 should never cross a street alone. Grown-ups and
older children should be role models and set a positive example by
practicing safe street-crossing rules:
· Stop at the curb or edge of the road and look left, then right, then
left again for moving cars.
· Wait until the street is clear, keep looking left and right until you
have safely crossed the street.
Parents:
Use the following guidelines for purchasing and correctly wearing a
helmet:
· The helmet should fit comfortably and not be able to move when you jerk
your head from side to side.
· It should sit parallel to the ground, not tilted back, with about an
inch (two fingers) between your eyebrows and the lower edge of the helmet.
· Make sure the helmet straps are always buckled. The straps should fit
snugly, but not too tightly. The sliding clasp on each side of the head
should be situated just below the ears. You should be able to put a finger
under the closed strap against your neck.
· Getting the fit "just right" is a matter of trial and error,
using the pads provided by the manufacturer and the strap adjustments. Try
several helmets in the store; not all helmet styles will fit all heads
equally well.
· As a parent, you should set a good example by always wearing a helmet
yourself. (Remember, actions speak louder than words!)
Water Safety
Kids:
· Swim only if a lifeguard or a grown-up gives you permission.
· Follow the posted rules.
· Check with the lifeguard to find out how deep the water is.
· Always swim with a buddy.
· Never jump or dive unless the lifeguard or a grown-up says it is okay
to do so.
· Don't eat candy or chew gum when swimming.
· Never swim at night.
· Get out of the water right away if you hear thunder or see lightning.
· When on a boat, everyone needs a seat and his or her own PFD (personal
flotation device). Air-filled swimming aids such as inner tubes, water
wings, and inflatable rafts are not substitutes for approved PFDs.
Children using air-filled swimming aids should always be supervised by an
adult within arms reach.
Parents:
· Drownings can occur during swimming, boating, hunting and fishing, and
even while taking a bath. In 1998, 1,003 children ages 14 and under
drowned. Approximately 10% of childhood drownings take place in bathtubs;
the majority of these happen in the absence of adult supervision. Small
children can drown in as little as one inch of water and are therefore at
risk of drowning in wading pools, bathtubs, buckets, diaper pails,
toilets, spas and hot tubs.
Falls Prevention
Kids:
· Take turns on playground equipment.
· Play gently - pushing and roughhousing can lead to falls.
· Never wear jackets with drawstrings, jewelry, or scarves around the
neck. They can get caught on playground equipment.
Parents:
· Play areas should be covered with at least 12 inches of shredded mulch,
wood chips, pea gravel, fine sand or covered with rubber or rubber-like
material designed for use under playground materials. Dirt, grass and sand
does not provide proper fall protection.
· Keep stairs clear of toys and other items that could cause someone to
trip. Teach children to hold the handrail when on stairs or escalators and
always tie their shoelaces to avoid tripping over them.
· Windows opened as little as five inches pose a danger to children under
10. Install window guards with quick release mechanisms that can be opened
easily from the inside in case there is a fire.
All information courtesy of NFPA and Risk Watch®.
For more safety tips check Risk Watch® at Riskwatch.org
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