ParentingHub

Daniele Milner, Owner of SA Childcare and First Aid Training Centre has found that the homes she visits are often ill-equipped with first aid basics. Child safety is incredibly important in the home, and there are some basic childcare steps a parent can take to ensure a child-friendly home.

1. Always have a basic first aid kit and remember to replace whatever you use .

2. Draft an emergency list and put it up in the most accessible places , such as by the phone or on the fridge . Make sure you have numbers on like 107 and 112 , which are for all emergencies , police , fire , traffic and ambulance . 107 is from a landline and 112 is from a cellphone . No airtime is required for emergency numbers .

3. Educate your staff about allergies in the family (especially child allergies) and ensure that this is on your emergency list as well . Your emergency list , speaks for you , when you can’t . Also ensure that your childs play school or preschool as well as the schools staff , know about your child's allergies and how to administer paediatric medication should they have an attack or be exposed to those foods .

4. Turn down your geysers to between 40 and 50 degrees Celsius . This will avoid scalding if a little one turns on the hot water tap .

5. Should you burn yourself always remember to run under cold water for between 15 to 30 minutes and then apply a burnshield . Burnshields can save you weeks in the treatment process . Burn kits can also be purchased in addition to your first aid kits .

6. Ensure you have an updated poison treatment chart in your kitchen and never follow what the bottle says . The bottle could have been packaged years ago and the treatment process may not be up to date . The Tygerburg Poison Information Centre is 24hrs , and you can contact them on 021 931 6129 .

7. Should a child have a head injury , always have them checked out by the doctor and never medicate the child for pain as this can mask the symptoms . Sleepiness , dizziness and vomiting are some of the symptoms of head injuries . If babies are at an agile stage , rather change their nappies on the floor , instead of on the compactums or the beds as it is the height from which they fall , that is dangerous .

8. Children can drown in toilets , buckets etc. Keep your bathroom doors closed when not in use and be careful of leaving unattended buckets of water lying around when mopping floors . Always fence off pools and securely lock the gates , with additional locks . Don’t leave toys in the pool that will attract children into the pool area and teach your children to lie on their tummies to reach in and not to stand over the edge .

9. Cover all electrical points with safety covers . Never touch anyone who is being electrocuted as depending on the voltage you can also be electrocuted . Always switch off your main board first .

10. Keep medicine , including contraceptives and vitamins in a cupboard out of reach of little ones . This includes your pets medication as well .

The unfortunate reality of little ones , is that we learn through trial and error , but if you adhere to these basic principles you can avoid a terrible accident happening in your home .

Safety comes first ,

Daniele Milner
SA Childcare and First Aid Training Centre
www.momsbabiesnannies.co.za