One of the most important things parents need to learn is that they cannot really protect children from all bruises, scrapes, falls, and bumps. It is not even a good idea to try to do this since a child needs to be faced with such situations to learn and grow. Children are naturally curious and active. Small injuries are actually a part of growing up.
The good news is that you can take some practical steps and plan in order to reduce injuries with children. You can always read articles written on a good parenting blog and reduce the possibility that your child will be injured. With such an approach, a bandaid, a cuddle, or a kiss would be the only fix needed.
Unfortunately, unintentional injuries lead to more deaths in children between 1 and 14 than anything else. Fortunately, most childhood injuries are easily prevented.
What Are The Most Common Child Injury Causes?
In no particular order, these are:
- Falls
- Poisoning
- Road accidents (this includes when children are cyclists, car passengers, or pedestrians)
- Scalds and burns
The common child death causes are drowning and road accidents.
Besides the really common examples, we can also mention the following as very common child injury and death causes:
- Bicycle accidents
- Flames, fire, and smoke
- Driveway accidents
- Trapping
- Crushing
- Suffocation
- Strangling
- Choking
Preventing Serious Children Injuries
The best thing you can do is to closely supervise your children. This is particularly the case when dealing with situations in which a child can get into trouble. Some of the examples you need to keep in mind are:
- Bath time – you need to be sure your children are safe when taking a bath.
- Inside kitchens – you have to be careful with potential scalds, burns, and exposure to household poisons.
- Being careful with practically anything that is smaller than a coin. This includes household items, toys, and food. Choking prevention is particularly important.
- When in strollers and prams, or when around swings, be extremely careful.
- Visiting any area that is away from home.
- Being careful when around roads, car parks, and driveways. Children need to be kept safe when in the car and around them.
- Being careful near water, like at the beach or close to a pool.
What If The Child Is Injured?
No matter what parents do, there is always a possibility that the child will end up injured. This is why all parents and caretakers are recommended to take at least a basic first aid course. When doing this, the parent is ready to deal with the most common accidents and injuries. Remember that first aid training stands out as a great idea every 3 years, with CPR training being recommended every single year.
The other thing you could do is to be sure you have your first aid kit close to you where the child is close, like in your car or in your home. When you go on a holiday, the first aid kit should be with you at all times, of course.