Submitted – Safe Kids Week May 25th-31st

 **Submitted

Safe Kids Week May 25th-31st
Home Product Safety

Every year in BC, more than 260 children are killed and more than 7,000 are injured. Injuries to children from the use of consumer products are common and at times, even fatal. Recent years have seen a steady increase in product safety recalls, causing great concern to parents and caregivers.

This year, Safe Kids Canada is promoting their annual Safe Kids Week, featuring Home Product Safety. Northern Health’s Preventative Public Health department is participating in Safe Kids Week by promoting home product safety awareness in all health units across the north at Child Health Clinics.

How safe are the products you use in your home every day? Below are a few tips to help keep your family safe:

Children are rarely injured from home products. True or False?

False. On average, 18,000 emergency room visits across Canada are a result of injuries to children by home products.

Did you know that Baby Walkers were banned in Canada in 2004?

In fact, baby walkers have caused more injuries to young children than any other nursery product.

What type of furniture causes the greatest number of injuries when it tips over: a) Televisions, b) Bookcases, c) Dressers, or d) Armoires/Wardrobes?

Any large piece of furniture is often seen by a child as a toy to climb, and more than 100 children visit hospitals every year in Canada due to televisions that a child has pulled down on themselves. Be sure to use the right anchors, angle-braces or furniture straps when securing televisions to the wall.

Bath seats keep children safe in the bathtub.

Actually, bath seats increase the risk of drowning. Never use baby bath seats. No child under five should be left alone in the bath, not even with a sibling.

What do small pocket sized plastic dolls, children’s jewelry and magnetic building sets all have in common: a) they make great gifts, b) are available at the same store, c) are educational, or d) have small powerful magnets?

The answer is that they all have small powerful magnets which, if swallowed, can cause choking or can get stuck to each other inside the body, causing serious injury. Keep these away from young children.

How old should a child be before she can sleep on the top bunk?

Many children suffer injuries falling off the top bunk while playing. Only children over 6 years of age should be allowed to use the top bunk. Make sure that upper bunks have guard rails on all sides.

What is the best way to make window coverings safe: a) cut the cords,
b) tie them up above a child’s reach, c) move furniture away from windows, or
d) all of these?

The answer is all of these. Young children find window blind or curtain cords interesting and are attracted to them, creating a high risk for strangulation.

How can you find out more about a product recall?

Visit the Health Canada website at http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/cps-spc/index-eng.php or call Health Canada’s Consumer Product Safety Hotline at 1-866-662-0666 for more information, or to report a problem with a product.

Safe Kids Canada is a great source of information about child injury prevention. Call the Safe Kids Canada Safe Tip line at 1-888-723-3847 or visit their website at www.safekidscanada.ca.