7 Easy Ways to Prevent Injuries and Keep Your Kids Safe

This is National Childhood Injury Prevention Week, which means it’s a great time to brush up on a few of the easiest things parents can do to keep their kids safe.

When it comes to safety for children, you may already know the basics: buckle up, wear a helmet, learn to swim, look both ways.

Here are some lesser-known tips to make your family even safer.

1. Tug on your kid’s car seat where the seat belt goes. If it moves more than 1” (one-inch) at the base, tighten it up.

About 73% of car seats are not installed correctly. Let’s make sure we keep our children safe. Please visit safekids.org to learn how to properly install a car seat.

2. Secure furniture and Televisions. Mount flat screens and keep bulky-style TVs on a low and stable base, or recycle them. 

Every two weeks, a child dies from a furniture tip-over. Check your house for furniture that a child might try to climb and for TVs that could topple.

3. Make sure your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are working. Replace batteries every year, and replace devices every 10 years.

When a young child dies from a residential fire, a smoke alarm is usually either not present or not working because of dead or missing batteries. You can’t see, taste or smell carbon monoxide, so your family needs both types of alarms.

A fun activity with your kids is making your own fire escape plan to keep your family safe.

4. Scan your home for places kids can get into medicine. Check for pills in purses, vitamins on counters and medicine in daily reminder boxes that curious kids get into.

Every 8 minutes, a child goes to the ER for medicine poisoning, and almost 9 times out of 10, the medicine belongs to an adult. Look at your house from a child’s perspective to see what they can see or reach.

5. Keep laundry packets and cleaning supplies up, up and away.

Little ones love to explore and often put things in their mouths. Did you know that every hour, poison centers receive a call about a child who has gotten into a laundry detergent packet? Take a moment to place all cleaning products out of sight and reach of little explorers.

6. Ask your kid’s coaches if they have had concussion or sports safety training. 

Young athletes need to know how to stay hydrated, stretch thoroughly, use the right equipment and recognize the signs and symptoms of concussions.

7. Take action against distraction.

Distraction impacts driving, walking, bath time... just about everything. Here’s a challenge: take a month to notice times when you or your kids are distracted. Help each other remember to put down the phone (or whatever is diverting you) and focus on looking out for each other.

Local numbers in case there is an emergency:

1. Tennessee Poison Control Hotline 1-800-222-1222.
2. Heath Department for Covid-19 testing centers near you 1-833-556-2476
3. Police Department/Fire Department: Call 9-1-1