HOLIDAY SAFETY

By: Joe Lee, M.D.

      Christmas is just around the corner and the best way to enjoy the holidays is to prepare for a safe and healthy season.  The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended a number of steps to take to assure that your children will be safe over the holidays.  The following are a number of guidelines that will help you have a happy and healthy holiday.

OUTDOOR FUN

• Make sure your child’s gloves and shoes stay dry.  If either becomes wet, change your child into a dry pair.

• Sledding on or into the roadway should be prohibited.  Look for shallow slopes that are free of obstacles, such as trees and fences.  A slope crowded with sleders spells trouble. 

• Most skiing and skating injuries involve twists, sprains and strains.  Prevent injuries by providing your child with competent instruction, proper equipment and appropriate supervision.

WARM, BRIGHT, AND SAFE

• Install smoke doctors on each level of your home, especially outside each bedroom.

• Use a sturdy fireplace screen to prevent sparks from igniting newspapers, carpeting, curtains and upholstery.

• Only use the fireplace when you’re home and awake.  Extinguish it when you go out or at bedtime.

• Make sure all electrical cords are in good condition.  Replace them if they’re frayed.  Never run cords under the carpet.

HAPPY VISITING

• Remember to clean up after a holiday party.  A toddler could rise early and choke on leftover food or become exposed to alcohol or tobacco.

• When you go out to parties, be sure the sitter knows where you can be reached, the number of the police and fire department and your pediatrician, and how to contact the poison control center.

• Remember that the homes you visit may not be childproofed.  Take a survey of any place you visit.