It’s Child Safety Week (6-12 June). Here’s our roundup of the most common accidents that might affect young children - along with some tips on how to plan your life so that they don’t happen in the first place

Car Accidents

A quick google will tell you that at least over 60% of seats are not installed properly in cars. It goes without saying that it is vital that parents and carers ensure that children are strapped into seats properly and that the appropriate group of seat is being used. Here are some more tips:

• Most seats contain instruction booklets, QR codes and Youtube video instructions. Make sure you take the time to read these resources.
• Please refer to our Car Seat info hub to find out everything you need to know before you make this important purchase.
• Also remember that if your child is sitting in a rear facing child car seat, and an accident happens, the seat shell will act as a protective shield and absorb the impact energy. This is because forces of the impact are spread over the whole large area of the child's back, neck and head, thereby significantly less strain is put on the child's neck.
• Extended rear facing car seats will ensure your child can remain in a safer rear facing position for longer, while still ensuring your child has plenty of space. We personally recommend the Concord Reverso.Plus i-Size Car Seat, which will allow your child to remain rear facing until 105cm or approximately 4 years of age.

Choking 

• Food is the most common thing for babies and toddlers to choke on. Young children may also put small objects in their mouths that can cause choking. Keep small objects out of your baby's reach.
• Once your baby has started on solid food, always cut it up into small pieces. Babies can choke on something as small as a grape (these should be cut lengthways).
• Do not give young children hard foods, such as boiled sweets or whole nuts.  

Check out our range of feeding essentials

Suffocation and Strangulation

It’s tough being a parent as there are so many hazards that must be avoided during the day, at home, in the car and out and about. Here are some areas worth attention.

• Remember to never leave your baby in an upright car seat for lengthy periods (some health experts say no more than half an hour). This is very important as a baby’s head droops and this means their airways can get blocked, leading to oxygen desaturation. If you are travelling on long journeys, consider a lie-flat car seat/carry cot such as the JANE MATRIX, which is 100% lie-flat and will keep your baby safe on longer journeys.
• Always keep curtain or blind cords tied up out of reach – with a cleat hook for example – so that they're well out of your baby or toddler's reach. Unsecured blind and curtain ropes can quickly wrap themselves round a baby or toddler's neck

Check out our full range of home safety and travel items

Falls in Toddlers

When babies start to walk, they're unsteady on their feet, but can move very quickly. They tend to trip and fall. Here are some injury prevention tips for parents of toddlers:

• Carry on using safety gates at the top and bottom of stairs until your infant is at least 2 years old. View our range of stair gates here.
• Start to teach your child how to climb stairs, but never let them go up and down on their own (even 4-year-olds may need some help). 
• Carry on using a 5-point harness when your child is in their highchair or pushchair.
• If furniture has sharp corners, use corner protectors to prevent your child from hurting their head.

Check out our full range of home safety and travel items

Poisoning

• Medicines are the cause of over 70% of hospital admissions for poisoning in under-5s. Common painkillers like paracetamol and ibuprofen are the main culprits. Keep all medicines locked away or high up out of reach and sight.
• Keep cleaning products high up out of reach, including those for the toilet. If this isn't possible, fit safety catches to low cupboard doors.
• Make sure bottle tops and lids are always firmly closed when not in use. Remember that child-resistant packaging is not child-proof – it just slows children down.
• Check your garden for poisonous plants. Teach your children not to eat anything they pick outdoors until they've checked with an adult.

Check out our full range of home safety and travel items

Burns and Scalds

A baby's skin burns more easily than an adult's. This means you need to take extra care to avoid burns and scalds. 

• At bathtime, run cold water into the bath first, then add some hot. Check the temperature with your elbow before your child gets in, and stay with them the whole time they are in the bath.
• Babies and toddlers will grab at brightly coloured objects, such as mugs. If you're having a hot drink, put it down well out of reach before you hold your baby. Keep hot drinks well away from all young children. A hot drink can still scald 15 minutes after it was made.
• Avoid heating up bottles of formula in a microwave. Use a bottle warmer or jug of hot water instead.
• When cooking, use the rings at the back of the cooker and turn saucepan handles towards the back, so they cannot be grabbed by little fingers.
• Check out our full range of home safety and travel items

House Fires

Domestic fires are a significant risk to children. Smoke from a fire can kill a child in a few minutes. Chip pans and cigarettes are the most common causes.

• Fit smoke alarms on every level of your home. Test them every week and change the batteries every year.
• At night, switch off electrical items before you go to bed and close all doors to contain a potential fire.
• Work out an escape plan for your family and tell your children what to do in case of a fire. Practise the plan regularly.
• If you have an open fireplace, always use a fireguard that encloses the whole fireplace. Fireguards such as the Babylo Premier Fireguard attach to the wall to ensure extra safety.
• Keep matches and lighters out of reach of children.

Glass-related injuries

Broken glass can cause serious cuts. The following advice may help you keep your child safe.

• Use safety glass at a low level, such as in doors and windows. This shatters less easily than normal glass. Look for the British Standards (BS) kitemark.
• When buying furniture that includes glass, make sure it has the BS kitemark.
• Do not let a baby or toddler hold anything made of glass.