Burns and Scalds

Almost half of all serious burns are to children under two and 70% are to children under five.

Some top tips for parents and carers are:

• Look for safe zones in your house where you know your child can’t reach your hot drink.
• Put your straighteners in a heat-proof pouch or on a high shelf to cool.
• When running a bath, put cold water in first and top up with hot.
• Push your kettle to the back of the worktop and use the back rings of your cooker first.

For more information about how to prevent the risk of burns and scalds happening, and what to do in an emergency, please visit: Burns and scalds | Child Accident Prevention Trust

Choking

Choking is usually a parent’s biggest fear when it comes to accidents, but there are some simple steps which parents can take to lessen their worry.

Food

Parents and carers should remember:

• STAY – Stay with children when they’re eating – it’s the biggest thing you can do for them.
• STILL – Get children to sit still – it can be a battle, but it’s much safer.
• Make sure that food is appropriately cut up, but this does not reduce the need to stay with young children when they are eating.

Small Objects and Toys

• Remember, anything smaller than a 2 pence piece can choke a young child.
• Toys for under 36 months, made to proper safety standards, won’t have small parts that can choke, but cheaper toys bought online might not meet those standards. If you’re not sure, give your child’s toys a check over for loose and small parts.

For more information about how to prevent the risk of choking, along with specific choking first aid advice, please visit: Safe from choking | How to prevent choking in children

Dogs and Children

The bond between children and a dog can bring fun and happiness to family life. Although we don’t expect our own dogs to bite, it’s important to remember any dog can bite if they feel they have no other option.

Children are most likely to be bitten at home, by a familiar dog. Last year, over 1,700 children were admitted to hospital with dog bites.

Close supervision can keep children safe around dogs

• Stay close – watch, listen and stay close so that you can respond before anything bad happens.
• Step in – intervene if your dog or your child is behaving unsafely or if either one looks uncomfortable.
• Separate –keep children and dogs separate when you know you’re likely to be distracted, like during the morning rush, making dinner, or answering the front door. You can use a safety gate, put your dog in another room, or take your child or dog with you.

For more information for how parents can keep their children safe around their dogs, please visit: Dogs and Children | Top tips to keep them safe and happy together

For professionals, the CSCP’s Dangerous Dogs and Safeguarding Children Procedure can be used if a child is injured by a dog and / or when there are concerns that a dog in a household may be dangerous or prohibited.

Suffocation

Babies and young children do not have the control that adults have over their bodies. They can wriggle and squirm, but it is harder for them to move out of a dangerous situation.

Babies

Babies are most at risk from suffocation when they are sleeping. They need to have a good safe place to fall asleep, and some top tips include:

• Many parents take babies to bed with them. However, sadly, some babies have been accidentally suffocated by their parents. A baby having a cot, means that parents can sleep soundly, knowing that they are safe.
• Putting babies at the bottom of the cot (so their feet touch the end) can stop them squirming down.
• Duvets or quilts should not be used with babies under 12 months, blankets or a lightweight sleeping bag (without a hood and that is the right size to stop the baby wriggling down into it) should be used instead.
• Never use a pillow with a baby less than 12 months old.

For more safer sleep advice, please visit the CSCP website: Safer Sleep (SIDS) | Cumbria Safeguarding Children Partnership.

You can also seek additional guidance via The Lullaby Trust, who provide expert safe sleep advice and work to keep babies safe: Home | The Lullaby Trust.

Toddlers and children aged 3-5

Plastic bags are the biggest risk of suffocation for toddlers and children aged 3-5 years old. The easiest way to make them safe is to tie a knot in them near the top. Your child will not be able to suffocate if they can’t open the bag.

Plastic sheets that seal and protect many new products and appliances, especially large ones, can also present a risk if they’re not thrown away immediately.

For more information about how to keep children safe from suffocation, please visit: Suffocation | Child Accident Prevention Trust