Hot answers tagged safety
23
Toddlers happen to be "designed" with the right height and mass that they very rarely injure themselves when falling from their own height. Mostly what you need to worry about is them falling from higher than their own height, like from furniture or stairs, falling onto something sharp, or something heavy falling on them. Most of the falls you are worrying ...
22
Yes, I think that children's online activities should be monitored but I don't think it's feasible in practice except for very young children. Older kids will always find a way to circumvent your control -- but the good news is that they get more computer-literate in the process :-)
To me it's the same as having someone supervise small children at the ...
14
For babies and toddlers, setting it on a high shelf should be sufficient. Also, choosing a pistol with a grip safety is a great move -- little hands simply don't have the span to hold it down properly while pulling a trigger (as opposed to "thumb safeties" which are buttons or switches easily manipulated by small hands before firing). Additionally, unlike ...
13
Seems unsafe to even try anything like that. I recall our hospital had a whole bunch of things they said not to do with pacifiers that pretty much all revolved around the notion of "don't do like your grandmother did." (if you look at old pacifiers, you'll see they have 4 holes, two on each side... those were for tying ribbon behind the baby's head to keep ...
13
Yes, it's uncomfortable.
No, it's not a concern.
My personal experience (having traveled many thousands of km/miles in the summertime as a child) is that high temperatures while driving is not a serious concern. When you don't have A/C, then your best defense against heat is to be smart:
Passengers will be thirsty.
Bring lots of drinking water, but avoid ...
12
We had to go by size and strength rather than age. Our oldest is small for her age, so she and her sister started together. I went by "big enough to push the lawn mower and smart enough not to stick their hands underneath." That turned out to be 12 for the oldest and 10 1/2 for the second. Our third started when he was 10, but mainly because he wanted in on ...
12
No, there is no way to safely do what you describe. Please keep your children in their seatbelts and child seats at all times. I understand what you're trying to achieve, but even if you find a working solution, the risks are immense.
Sitting upright with a relaxed head in a collision is safe. So to speak, if the head has already fallen forward before you ...
11
One day, your child is going to learn how to climb stairs safely, how to go down them safely (on his bottom at first, sitting down on the step and descending, sitting down, one step at a time), how to climb onto the couch and get back off, etc. He's going to fall quite a few times between now and when he will have mastered staying upright on two feet - and ...
11
I think that is a very bad idea, because it is likely to have the opposite effect -- cool rather than scary -- so in effect you'd be teaching your kid pyrotechnics. After all, there's a reason why Hollywood flicks are full of explosions. I'm sure a 5yo doesn't understand whether it's sensible to play with fire indoors. Do you really want him to play with ...
11
An adult who has been assaulted should consider calling the police. If for some reason that is not possible they should consider getting in touch with a local domestic violence helpline.
A young adult who has been assaulted in a house where there are other younger children who are also at risk of violence should strongly consider calling either the police; ...
11
Ultrasonic waves cause some heat and vibration, so prolonged exposure can theoretically have a negative impact.
The last article you cite shows 30 minutes of exposure in fetal mice can mildly disrupt their neuronal development. Rat neuronal development occurs much more rapidly than human development. The rat's gestational period is about 23 days, ...
11
You or your neighbor should definitely contact an authority. You've described child neglect which is reportable to authorities. To not report it would cause harm and could lead to worse problems.
Because there is concern about (abuse or) neglect, a trained professional, such as a doctor or fireman, should be called. One way to deal with this would be to ...
11
The US EPA recommends keeping young children from freshly painted rooms.
I would look into paints that off-gas fewer chemicals if I were to paint around a baby or young toddler. You can find several. Here is a list of five and here is a Consumer Reports comparison.
Purely anecdotally my mother threw me into a backpack to paint our home when I was a ...
10
You can buy corner guards to go on sharp corners.
Cables can be routed through cable ducts
And there are various ways of securing a television
However - and I guess this doesn't really answer the question - what I've ended up doing is not leaving my baby unsupervised near the entertainment system, and giving a firm "NO!" and then moving him away when he ...
10
http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/FreezePage.htm
Glass that is not specifically manufactured for freezing has the
unfortunate ability to crack, leave behind tiny, microscopic shards
and fragments and also is prone to bursting. Baby food jars are not
manufactured for freezing or for extreme heating. BALL, makers of home
canning products, ...
10
No. I would not risk it. Usually the manual will say not to use the unit if it's damaged, or even to use it if it's older than a few years. Parts may look just little bit damaged, but that little bit can cause a failure during an accident that will leave your little one hurt. Of course, like everything else, there's a tradeoff between cost (in this case ...
9
In Australia it is the law that all pools have child safety gates around them. If that's not the case where you are from, I'd strongly suggest investing in one anyway, and being strict about keeping the gate closed.
From NSW Commission for Children and Young People
Between 1996 to 2005, there were 245
children and young people who died as
a result ...
9
Firearm safety must begin in the home. Your children will naturally emulate your behavior (especially what you do when you think they aren't looking).
For formal instruction, I do not believe that there is anything to be gained for the first time firearm user from videos and other recorded media. Base firearm skills aren't just techniques, they are habits. ...
9
For website templates I'd like to suggest asking on the excellent Wordpress SE site. But that's not really your point.
A decade ago it seemed common to create photo websites about their offspring. Back then, a website for Junior looked like a cool and sweet thing to do. Several of my fellow geeks did this. None of their sites are still online.
With all of ...
8
Maybe limit him to "blunt" objects, like markers and crayons?
At the same time, there comes a point where you'll just have to hope. I mean, he could also get hurt if he falls while walking from the kitchen to the dinner table with the fork he just picked up to eat with. Or he might be carrying a hard plastic toy, fall and bust his face open on it.
8
In our family, the rule is "don't talk to strangers unless a grown-up is with you", at least when a child is small.
Now that my son is 8, has had some martial arts training, as well as basic general tactical instruction, the rule is much more relaxed -- "Don't put yourself in a situation where a stranger has the ability to compromise your safety."
He'll ...
8
If the child falls and cries unusually then make sure to check. Otherwise we've generally taught our toddler to just get up again and get on with the show. As long as he doesn't learn that every small bump results in a panic reaction from the parents, he just gets up again. If he feels that he really hurts we always notice.
Falling is okay and usually safe ...
8
It's a dangerous business, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no telling where you might be swept off to.
--Bilbo Baggins (Lord of the Rings movie)
As the question's comments suggest - your first step is to stop and breathe. "Risks," especially as vague as you've described it, are infinite.
Have you ...
8
If the elder sibling has a history of being careless, hostile, or inconsiderate toward other children that might be a reason to worry about safety, but otherwise I'd expect it to be generally safe.
I'd rather think it would be more of a practical problem, in terms of the two children having different bedtimes, and one of them waking the other one up at ...
8
As an elementary school librarian, I was responsible for talking with students and parents about computer use. We focused a great deal about the very scary presence of predators on the internet. We encouraged parents to constantly talk with their children about what they are doing on the internet, who they are talking to, what sites they are visiting.
I ...
8
Do you monitor the books they read from the library? Do you monitor the music they listen to on the radio? Do you monitor the TV and Movies they watch? Do you monitor what they say and hear from their friends? If so, then I'd say yes... it's just yet another stream of content.
Honestly, the easiest way to monitor, is to put the computer in a communal space ...
8
Infants are especially susceptible to hearing damage from loud noises because their skulls are thinner, according to the Women’s and Children’s Health Network.
We are born with tiny sensors in the inner ear called “hair cells”. Throughout life, we lose hair cells very slowly resulting in frequent gradual loss of hearing with age. Loud noise can lead to the ...
8
Wires and delicate electronics need to be kept away from young children for a long time unless you're fond of frequent replacement and missing equipment. And of course there is the risk of the child getting hurt.
The most expensive answer is to replace the furniture. Many companies make entertainment centers like this one from Ikea. It hides all the ...
8
Toys/pillows/blankets in the crib are a suffocation hazard, especially while the child is too young to be able to move deliberately (not having developed enough motor control yet), and that's the argument against having them.
So you could say that once the baby has full motor control, it would be safe to add toys.
But (at least in theory) toys remain a ...
8
I would have thought that when the child has transitioned to a shower from a bath, that would be the time I'd let them go at it alone.
American Pediatrics Society recommends around the age of 6 before they are allowed to bathe alone; however, a quick google search will tell you that many parents start around the age of 4. However, usually parents who leave ...
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