When children reach
their early childhood age, toddlers are introduced to various safety threats
and hazardous situation. Among these threats and situations there are injuries
caused by choking, falling, lack of supervision, drowning, and car accident.
Choking
Choking accident
happen the most during toddler stage, but even though it can happen at any
time. During this developing stage, toddlers are very curious about certain
things and goes straight to their mouth.
At a child care facility the caregiver should make sure that all toys
are appropriate to play with. The caregiver should make sure the toys are not
hazardous and are not choking material. Materials that are label for choking
material should be place in a container, and kept out of the reach of the
child. All hazard material should be locked up in a cabinet. The parents should
also buy toys that are appropriate for the toddler. They should also make sure
the toys are not small enough to choke on. Also certain food should not be
given, because a child can choke off of small food like grapes, popcorn, chips
and hard candy.
Falling
Toddlers falls a
lot during their first stage in learning how to walk. Toddlers should wear
proper shoes to help them balance. The toddlers are pulling up on tables,
sofas, chairs, also their parent’s leg or caregiver’s leg. They try to run
before they walk. Make sure when they fall they are not around sharp objects,
or by a corner of a table. Do not give them toys to push with rollers on them,
because the toy is rolling faster than they can walk and that will cause the
toddler to fall. These children will be exploring and mastering their
environment, so it is imperative that they have a safe place to investigate and
explore (Robertson, 2013).
Lack of supervision
Most injuries occur when the child is not
being supervised. The parents are either distracted, very busy, or temporarily
absent. Most parents take the child to the park and release the child to go
play. The child plays on the equipment that is not suitable for their age,
because he or she is not being watch or supervised. The toddler is injured on
one of the equipment because the parent didn’t examine it before the child
started playing. The spaces where children live, learn, and play need to be
designed with the child in mind (www.beststart.org). Adults must always remain
vigilant and anticipate the child’s needs, actions, and level of development.
Drowning
Drowning occurs
when they are not being supervised. Other causes is when the child plays around
a pool and slips in, or playing in the bathtub, and do not know how to swim. A
parent or adult should never leave a toddler around a pool or bathtub full of
water. If you have to do something take the child with you or close the
bathroom door until you get ready to bath them. The parent can ensure the
safety of the child by taking a class of CPR. Learn how to do the proper
procedures if a child is drowning, and also the parent can take swimming
lessons.
Car Accident
Car accident
occurs mostly because a child is not properly buckle down in their car seat.
Car seats and booster seats should be installed properly to prevent injuries or
death. The car seat or booster seat should be used according to the age,
height, and weight of a child. A toddler should always be put in a car seat
when traveling in the car and not in your lap, or on the seat.
Reference:
Robertson, C. (2013). Safety, nutrition, and health in early
education (5th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Cengage
There are so many ways a child can get hurt these days but it is always good to be prepared for anything. children need someone to protect them because they can't do it alone. Parents need to be more aware of crisis situations at home also for children's safety. Most parents are not prepared for disasters and if one struck, they wouldn't know what to do. I agree, if parents supervise their children better most accidents will not occur.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your post. There are so many different ways children can get hurt or an accident can occur. There are times when it is because lack of supervision, and there are times when it is simply an accident. I will say that parents as well as teachers use recess and such as a breather and there are times when supervision is not in full force. Whether this be the case or not, it is vital to know how to respond.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many ways and many different things that can hurt a child. As a caregiver and educator we have to be so conscious of the surrounding or environment in which the children are in. Removing small objects such as buttons, coins, balls, grapes, etc. As well as giving the children appropriate toys and foods for their ages will aid in prevent choking. However; being trained and certified in life-saving techniques such as CPR and first aid would be a plus.
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