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Childhood injuries often occur because parents and caretakers undermine what
there are kids are capable of doing and not doing. Sudden milestone achievements
such as rolling over for the first time also cause babies to fall. Child
development and child safety are so closely linked together that you cannot ever
expect the first one to occur and allow yourself to ignore the latter, even for
a few moments. Developmental milestones in a child are also an indicator of
increased risk of injuries for the child. It has been noticed that most children
under 15 years of age that need to go to an emergency to get an injury treated
are one to two year old. In this section, we will cover the most common
childhood injuries and ways to prevent them:
* Active toddlers that are about 15 to 17 months are known to have products like
gasoline and lead-based paints. They can open drawers and pry open the bottles,
become taller and can reach places where they couldn’t in the past and act like
an insatiable explorer.
* Babies who accidentally slip or crawl into bathrooms, unsupervised by adults,
are known to drown in toilets, buckets and pools, even with all the supporting
ring devices.
* By 9 to 11 months, babies try to put anything they can lay their hands on in
their mouth including broken parts of toys, buttons, coins and medicines that
they can find on floor. These can get into their tiny air and esophageal
passages and cause them to choke on them.
* Children less than 4 years of age, do not have total control over there body
and may misjudge their movements, causing them to fall from furniture, stairs or
playground equipment.
* Children less than six months old are most susceptible to serious and
sometimes fatal injuries that occur due to falls.
* Children who are about 6 to 8 months old start sitting on their own and thus,
parents often assume that they can let the baby alone in the bathtub for a few
moments while they answer the phone or the door. In such case, babies have been
known to drown or get submerged in water less than two inches.
* Hot liquids and vapor can scald a baby worse than a grown up adult, as his
skin is thinner and much softer. So, keep your cup of tea or coffee out of
baby’s reach and keep them away from hot tub of water.
* Infant walkers are more hazardous than helpful, if babies are left alone wit
them. Babies use them to try to climb off the stairs (and fall in the process),
get tipped over very easily and reach things that are dangerous for them and
supposedly have been kept out of their reach.
* Injuries that occur due to accidentally hitting a child who suddenly runs out
on street, falling out of a car or accidentally set the car in motion while
playing with steering and keys, mostly occur when caretakers are not vigilant
enough for the child who is increasingly becoming more active and is innately
curious.
* Newborns to five months old have limited mobility, so most of the injuries
that they face, occur due to caretakers' fault or neglect. A young sibling or
who may accidentally let the baby fall may cause an injury to the baby.
* The intense curiosity of children to try and experiment with anything they can
find peaks around 21 to 23 months and this is also the peak time for injuries
such as drowning and poisoning occur.
* When kids learn to crawl and roll, they love to perform their antics and if
you let them alone for just a while, they may fall from bed, sofa or crib.
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