1.     Tipping furniture including televisions on stands with or without stands are the third most dangerous hidden danger in the house.  Do not ever place items on top of the TV or other high pieces of furniture that a child may try to reach by climbing. Do not place over-sized or heavy TV’s or other appliances on weak or unstable furniture. Avoid using television stands that have wheels, which make it even easier for it to tilt over. (Gaulin, 2007). I did not find any specific policy on furniture but according to the Child Protective Safety Committee, installing hardware that anchors furniture to a wall is inexpensive and easy to install. (CPSC, 2009).

2.     Window safety. Window falls occur sometimes in households where there are no window guards. It is a law in New York for landlords to provide window guards. If you own a home, you can easily buy the window guards and install them. Recommendations include not leaving children unattended in rooms with any open windows. The National Safety Council offers these tips to protect children from window falls: avoid placing furniture near windows to prevent children from climbing, installing building code-compliant devices designed to limit how far a window will open. (NSC, 2010).

3.     Playground safety. Improper protective surfacing.  The surface or ground under and around the playground equipment should be soft enough to cushion a fall. Improper surfacing material is the leading cause of playground related injuries. Platforms without any guardrails  on elevated surfaces of the playground such as ramps or bridgeways should have guardrails that would prevent accidental falls. Preschool age children are more at risk. Their equipment should have guardrails on elevated surfaces higher that 20”. (Rules of the Playground, 2009).

4.     Choking. Check floors and reachable areas for small objects such as pins, coins and buttons. Avoid giving raw vegetables, nuts, hard candy, popcorn and other foods that are difficult for child to properly chew and swallow. Choking hazard toys include game token, marbles, balloons, dress up jewelry, doll pacifiers, game pieces, jacks, toys with strings, or cords long enough to encircle a child’s neck. Recommendations include checking for toys with sharp points, rough edges, pinch points and loose small parts. Avoid stuffed animals, which may have loose parts such as eyeballs.  Make sure that toys with pull strings are restricted to use when an adult is present.

5.     Drowning.  Drowning is the 2^nd major cause of death in children. Never leave a child in water unattended. Cover or remove any pails with water. Direct adult supervision is warranted. Drowning can occur in a relatively small amount of water, such as a bucket of standing water that someone forgot to empty. Toilets, tubs and sinks also pose a risk. Toilet lids should be closed. Outdoor water safety tips include covering, fencing and locking any gates to the pool. Always supervise children playing near a pool or any body of water. Begin to teach water safety to children. Children should engage in swimming lessons. (Robertson, 2010).

References

Consumer Products Safety Commission. (2009).  The tipping point. Bethesda, MD. Retrieved from http://www.cpsc.gov/onsafety/2009/09/the-tipping-point/#more-174.

Gaulin, Pam. (August 11, 2007). Top five hidden home hazards for children and natural remedies. Retrieved from http://www.associated content.com/article/343992/top_five_hidden_home_hazards_for_children_pg2.html?cat=25.

National Safety Council.(April 4,2010). Open the window to safety this spring. Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://www.nsc.org/Pages/openthewindowtosafetythisspring.aspx.

Robertson, C. (2010). Safety, nutrition, and health in early education. (4^th ed.). Belmont,CA:Wadsworth/Cengage Learning.

Rules of the Playground. (December 14, 2009). 12 common playground hazards. Retrieved from http://www.rulesoftheplayground.com/design-ideas/12-common-playground-hazards/.