Plus

Plus

Protect your child from home accidents
By Ayesha Inoon

When preparing the child's bath, cold water should be poured before hot water

In every home where there is a young child, an accident is often waiting to happen. The cup of hot tea at the edge of the table, the uncovered electrical outlet, the handful of coins on the dresser… To a curious and adventurous youngster, an ordinary home can be a danger zone.

Dr. Chandima Suriyarachchi, Consultant Paediatric Surgeon at the Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children says, "Injuries are one of the leading causes of death and disability in childhood and early adult life. It burdens the nation in terms of cost, human suffering, and even loss of productivity and the use of medical services.”

He says the things that pose a danger to children depend on their age and abilities. Babies under the age of a year are less likely to suffer injury due to their limited mobility. Toddlers are extremely prone to accidents as they are constantly on the move, curious about everything, and unable to judge what is safe from what is not. Also, the upper part of their torso is heavier than the lower part, making them lose balance easily and fall face-first. Older children are more at risk in the playground.

Parents can prevent injuries by creating safe environments for children. The more they know about how injuries can happen, the better they will be able to prevent them.

Falls
The safest place for infants is in their cots or on the floor. Babies should never be left alone for even a moment on a high place such as a bed or a table, as it only takes a few seconds for them to roll to the edge and fall.

Another cause of frequent falls is the use of baby walkers. Walkers are extremely dangerous, says Dr. Suriyarachchi, since they give the child extra height and mobility, causing him to rush headlong into objects or topple over. It has been estimated that one third of children using walkers suffer injuries, and research has proven that they can actually lengthen the time it takes for the child to walk on his own. In countries such as the U.S.A, the use of baby walkers has been banned.

Coffee table injuries, where the sharp edge of the table is just at the height for a toddler to bang his head, are also common, as are falls off balconies and staircases, and slipping on rugs on the floor.

The extent of the damage, says Dr. Suriyarachchi, depends on factors such as the height from which the child falls, and the part of the head which hit the floor. While the bump that appears soon afterwards is of no consequence, it is internal injury that parents must be wary of. The child should be watched closely after the fall for any sign of unusual behaviour such as dizziness, vomiting, and drowsiness. Anything out of the ordinary should immediately be reported to a doctor.

Burns and scalds
A mother of two was preparing milk for her toddler, when the younger baby started crying. Leaving the jug of boiling water on the edge of the table, she rushed to attend to the baby. The toddler, seeing the jug, reached over and pulled it, with terrible consequences.

Such incidents are common, says Dr. Suriyarachchi, adding that children's skin, unlike that of adults, is more easily burned. Even a temperature of 60 Celsius can burn a child's skin.

Hot liquids such as tea and coffee should always be kept out of reach. A child should not be able to pull the tablecloth and spill liquids. In the kitchen too, pots and pans should always be kept out of reach, with their handles turned inwards.

When preparing the child's bath, cold water should always be poured before hot water. The temperature should be checked with the wrist or elbow before putting the child into the tub, says Dr. Suriyarachchi, adding that he has seen cases where the skin of the baby's lower body has come off by being immersed in water that was too hot.

In rural areas and urban homes without electricity, accidents from kerosene lamps toppling over are also still widespread. When a child is burned it is important to immediately hold him under cold, running water, or keep pouring water on him for at least 10 minutes before taking him to hospital, advises Dr. Suriyarachchi. In this way the damage can be reduced to some extent. It is also important to take them to a specialized burns unit for children, such as the one at Lady Ridgeway Hospital, if possible.

Swallowing foreign bodies
When a toddler swallowed a 5-rupee coin, the parents rushed him to hospital. As is usually the case, Dr. Suriyarachchi asked them to watch for the coin in the child's stools. However, the coin did not turn up, and X-rays revealed that it was corroding in the stomach. Finally, endoscopy had to be used to get the coin out.

Although the consequences are usually not so serious, objects such as coins and keys do pose a serious choking hazard. If the object gets stuck in the trachea or larynx, a child could choke to death.

In case a child appears to be choking, he should immediately be placed facing down on the lap, supporting the head and neck with one hand, keeping the head lower than the trunk, and firmly hit between the shoulder blades with the heel of your palm, which is usually effective in dispelling the object. Otherwise the Heimlich manoeuvre can be used. If efforts to bring out the object fail, the child should be kept in a sideways position with the head lowered and taken to a doctor.

Parents should also take care to buy age appropriate toys for children, avoiding those which contain small parts that a small child could choke on.
A particularly dangerous object in modern times, says Dr. Suriyarachchi, is the small flat batteries found in gadgets such as wristwatches and musical toys. If these batteries are swallowed they start releasing chemicals inside the body, eroding the gastric wall, and causing disastrous results. If there is any suspicion of a child having swallowed a battery, immediate action must be taken to bring it out, he says.

Poisoning
A father of a four-year-old worked in a rubber estate. He once brought home a bottle of a certain corrosive liquid used to mix with rubber. It took only a few seconds for the little boy to take a large swallow. The damage was so extensive, says Dr. Suriyarachchi that he had to replace almost the entire oesophagus.

In another home, a three-year-old nearly went into a coma after consuming half a bottle of cough syrup. It goes without saying that all dangerous products — household products, chemicals, medication, perfumes and alcohol — be safely locked up and kept out of reach. While some medicine bottles come with child resistant caps, it takes a smart kid just a few minutes to know how to open one of these, says Dr. Suriyarachchi.

He also cautions that when a child swallows a corrosive liquid, such as an acid, parents should never attempt to make the child vomit, or give him water, since both actions will worsen the situation.

Drowning
Children, who can drown in as little as two inches of water, should never be left alone near it. Drowning is more common in rural areas, where unprotected wells, trenches amd makeshift bridges are abundant. In some modern homes there is a tendency to construct indoor ponds and artificial waterfalls. Dr. Suriyarachchi says such constructions should be put off until the child is much older.

Pets
A six-month-old baby was left alone for only a few minutes, when she was attacked by the pet monkey, which bit her legs. A pet, however well-behaved in the presence of its owner, is often jealous of the attention given to a new baby, cautions Dr. Suriyarachchi. If there is a pet in the house, an infant should never be left alone with it.

Road accidents
A young child should never be seated on the lap of an adult in the front passenger seat. In case of an accident, the child would be the first to be affected. The impact of an expanding airbag could cause serious injury, Dr. Suriyarachchi says, adding that an infant or toddler should ideally be seated in a car seat facing rearward.

Carrying small children in three-wheelers and motorcycles is also inadvisable, he says, adding that he has attended to many cases where children had fallen out of three-wheelers or been injured in motorcycle accidents.

Of the many injuries he sees everyday, the majority are ones that could have been prevented, says Dr. Suriyarachchi, who hopes to begin a community awareness programme on the prevention of childhood injuries. Although parents can avoid injuries to a great extent by baby proofing their homes, small children, especially under the age of three, need constant supervision. "No one can look after the child like the parents," he says, commenting that many injuries occur due to the carelessness of domestic aides.

"Children are not small adults," he says, adding that they lack the ability to make judgments regarding their safety, and it is the responsibility of the grown-ups to ensure that they have a safe and secure environment to grow in.

Back to Plus