According to a study[1] based on the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2016, 80.5% of injuries among children under five occur at home. Common home injuries include cuts, poisoning, choking, electric shocks, falls, drowning and burns. Boys are more likely to sustain home injuries than girls.
This goes to show that while the home is a child’s safe place, it can be a hazardous environment too. When children become mobile, their natural curiosity and inclination to explore means that accidents could happen if you don’t watch them closely. They could climb on furniture and tip it over themselves or jump off couches and tables or tear around the house and trip and fall. Or they could open cabinets and get into cleaning fluids or other dangerous items or pick small objects off the floor and put them in their mouths.
Of course, the best way to prevent accidents is to confine them to a playpen. But this is not recommended as playpens restrict their movement and exploration and potentially hinder their physical and cognitive development. Only use the playpen for short periods as prolonged confinement over extended periods can lead to delays in motor skill development. Children need to move in stimulating environments and practice different movements. Also, being confined can impact their social and emotional development as children need opportunities to interact with others.
The other alternative to create a safe and stimulating environment is by child-proofing the home.
Here are some ideas to help you provide a healthy and safe environment for your child.
Tips to Make Your Home Child-Safe
Electrical Hazards
Use plastic safety covers over electrical outlets so that children cannot poke their fingers or metal objects into them. This protects against electric shock. If your child won’t stay away from the outlets, block access to them. Keep electrical cords out of reach and out of sight from them.
Loose Cords
Blind and curtain cords are a strangulation hazard. If your blinds or drapes are not cordless, wrap these cords around wall brackets to keep them out of reach of children or attach these cords to floor mounts that hold them taut. Never put a crib or high chair or playpen near a window or balcony door where children can reach the blind or curtain cord. You can also use safety stop devices on the cords. Remember to always remove cords and drawstrings from children’s clothes such as hoodies, hats or jackets as these can also be a strangulation hazard.
Choking Hazards
Young children always put things in their mouths. Constantly check the floor for small objects that could be dangerous if swallowed. Examples include toy parts, coins, paper clips, pen caps, beads, pins, jewellery, buttons, screws, keys, and even pills. The best way to check for these small items is to get down to your child’s level to see what’s there. This is especially important if someone else in the house has a hobby that involves small items, such as beading or jewellery-making or if there are older children who have small toys or other items.
Battery Danger
Children are especially drawn to button or lithium coin batteries because they are small and intriguing. Know which items in your home have these batteries and keep them out of reach of children. If inhaled or swallowed, these small batteries can cause swift, life threatening damage to the esophagus or intestines. Lithium coin batteries are found in many common household and personal products such as small remote controls, car key fobs, cameras, electric gate openers, flameless candles, watches, toys and hearing aids. If you must dispose these batteries and other larger sized ones, don’t just throw them into the wastepaper basket where children have easy access to. Dispose them in a place where children don’t have access to.
Wastepaper Basket and Trash Containers
Any trash container contains dangerous items. Things like spoiled food, fruit seeds, discarded razors, batteries and so on are often found in trash cans. All trash cans should have a child-resistant cover or be kept out of a child’s reach.
Dangerous Furniture
Children love to climb. In fact, they are driven to climb but they might pull large pieces of furniture like bookshelves, dressers or televisions down on themselves. Make sure your furniture has a stable base and if possible, anchor it to the wall. Avoid furniture with legs or wheels. Instead choose furniture that has a wide base that sits directly on the floor. Also, keep computers, laptops and their cords out of reach so your child can’t pull them onto themselves or get entangled in the cords.
Windows and Balconies
Thankfully, Malaysian houses have windows that have grills. Although this will prevent children from falling out of a window, it won’t prevent them from climbing up the grill. Never put chairs or sofas or tables in front of a window as that will tempt them to climb the window. Also, be careful of balconies. A child might climb up the railings or fall through the spaces between the railings or get their head stuck between the railings. Supervision is key. Always supervise your child when they are out on potentially dangerous places.
Plastic Bag Danger
Never leave plastic bags lying around the house. They can suffocate children. Don’t store toys and other items in plastic bags either. Your child might get into them to retrieve their toy. Dry cleaning bags and other large bags like dustbin bags are especially dangerous. Knot them before you throw them away so that its impossible for your child to crawl into them or pull them over their heads. Even small torn off pieces can become a potential choking hazard.
Household Poisons
Keep all chemical and household cleaning products in a locked cabinet out of reach of children. Also keep all medications, vitamins, cosmetics and first aid treatment products safely locked out of sight. Do not depend on child-safety caps to protect your child from getting into medicine bottles. Keep all alcoholic beverages in a locked cabinet. Other poisons in the house include houseplants. Azaleas, Rhododendrons, Philodendron, Peace Lily, Sago Palm and Oleander are all poisonous. Also, don’t keep cactuses or any thorny or spikey plants in and around the house. Apart from being poisonous, children might fall against them and spike their eyes or other parts of their body on these plants. To be safe, you may have to forgo houseplants for the time being.
Install Safety Gates
Install safety child gates at both the top and bottom of the stairs. Ensure that the gates are firmly mounted to the house’s walls. The gates should be installed as soon as the child is mobile.
Pay Attention to Doors
Pay attention to glass doors as children may run into them. Swinging doors can knock a small child down and folding doors can pinch little fingers. Teach your child to be careful of them when using these doors.
Kitchen Hazards
The kitchen is often the center of activity in many homes but it has a lot of hidden dangers. Keep knives, forks, icepicks, scissors and other sharp instruments out of the reach of children. The same applies to cleaning fluids, detergent, furniture polish and other dangerous products. If you must store these chemicals under the sink, make sure the cabinet door has a childproof lock. Unplug appliances when not in use and do not allow electrical cords to dangle where your child can reach and tug on them. They could pull a heavy appliance down on themselves. When cooking, always turn pot handles toward the back of the stove so that your child can’t reach up and grab them. Whenever you have to walk with hot liquid such as coffee, soup or boiling water, be sure to know where your child is so you don’t trip over them. Do not carry your child at the same time when handling hot food or water or cook while carrying your child.
Bathroom Hazards
The first rule of bathroom safety is supervision. Do not let a child get into a bathroom or leave them unattended when you are giving them a bath. Empty the bath water from the tub immediately after giving the child a bath. Furthermore, Malaysian bathrooms are usually wet which makes them slippery and a risk for falls. Keep the bathroom floor dry and clutter free to minimize slipping, tripping and falling. As a precaution, you can install slip proof mats. Do not leave buckets filled with any amount of water or leave the mop in a bucket of water in the bathroom or anywhere else. There have been many cases of young children falling headfirst into the bucket of water with devastating results. The same applies to toilets. The toilet lid should be closed and fastened down with a childproof lock when not in use.
Morinaga Chil-kid
Just as you want to keep your child safe and sound as he grows up, you also want to take care of his health and general wellbeing. Choosing the right growing up milk that will provide him the nutrition he needs to grow up healthy and strong is imperative.
Morinaga Chil-kid is a nutrient-dense formula that is packed with 45 essential nutrients necessary for the optimal growth and development of Asian children aged one to seven. Formulated in Japan with a balanced ratio of protein, fat and energy, the nutrients include brain-centric ones such as DHA+ARA[2], Inositol[3] as well as other Long Chain Polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPs). It also contains all the vitamins from Vitamin A to Vitamin K1 as well as the B vitamins, including Folic Acid. Some of the minerals include Calcium, Iron, Iodine and Zinc. Chil-kid also has five types of Nucleotides[4] to support growth and immune function as well as Galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS), a prebiotic, and is formulated with zero Sucrose.
Wholly produced in the Netherlands from the dairy farms to the packaging, the milk goes through rigorous European Union (EU quality control every step of the way plus a double inspection process with samples sent to Japan for a second inspection before it is exported to Malaysia.
[1](The Study’title Is: Determinants of Unintentional Home Injury Prevention Practice Among B40 Parents of Under-Five Children in Selangor: A Study Protocol - Google Search, n.d.)
[2]Product - Morinaga Milk Formula | Morinaga Malaysia. (n.d.). Morinaga Malaysia. https://morinagamilk.com.my/product.php
[3]Product - Morinaga Milk Formula | Morinaga Malaysia. (n.d.). Morinaga Malaysia. https://morinagamilk.com.my/product.php
[4]Product - Morinaga Milk Formula | Morinaga Malaysia. (n.d.). Morinaga Malaysia. https://morinagamilk.com.my/product.php