Parachute’s Safe Kids Week runs from June 3-9, 2019 and focuses on how you can keep your children safe and help prevent injuries! This year, the annual awareness campaign focuses on preventing harmful child falls in the home and at play.
Falling can be a normal part of child play and most often children are not seriously injured. Each year, there are still 140 000 children who need to go to an emergency department in Canada as a result of falls. Most of these falls occur in the home.
The idea behind Safe Kid’s Week is to raise awareness on how to make your home a safer place for your children and to reduce injuries. There are many simple things you can do to make sure your child is safe at home:
- Get on the ground and see the world at your child’s level. This will help you see through your child’s eyes to identify hazards.
- Use window stops and keep the balcony door locked.
- Place furniture away from windows and balcony door handles. Children can climb before they are even able to walk!
- Use hardware mount gates at the top of stairs and pressure mount gates at the bottom of stairs.
- Buckle your child in their high chair or stroller every time.
- Always keep one hand on your child when they are on a high surface.
- Avoid buying or using baby walkers with wheels.
- Always set the car seat and other carriers down on the floor.
- Keep stairs and high-traffic areas in your home free from clutter and tripping hazards, like toys and books.
… and, to learn more about Parachute’s Safe Kids Week, visit www.parachutecanada.org!
