Child Safety Week 2021 takes place between 7th – 13th June 2021. This year the Children’s Burns Trust are working alongside the Child Accident Prevention Trust (CAPT) to raise awareness of the number of children that are seriously burned and scaled each year, many of which are entirely preventable.
A small child’s skin burns really easily as it’s so thin, these scars are physical as well as psychological and can present life-long challenges for the individual and their families.
The majority of injuries occur as a result of an accident. It is really simple to make sure it doesn’t happen to your child. Here’s how:
Hot Drinks
Stay hot enough to scald a small child even after 15 minutes
- Look for safe zones in your house where your child cannot reach your hot drink
- Try getting into the habit of putting your child down before picking up your hot drink
Hair Straighteners
Can get as hot as an iron and can still burn 15 minutes after being switched off
- Keep straighteners & wands out of reach when using them
- Put them in a heat-proof pouch or on a high shelf to cool
Button Batteries
If a child swallows a lithium coin cell battery and it gets stuck in their food pipe, it can burn a hole causing internal bleeding and even death
- Keep loose batteries out of reach and dispose of those ‘flat’ batteries quickly and safely
- Keep objects out of reach if they have button batteries the child can get to
Cooking
Young children don’t automatically pull away from something that is burning them and may forget the rules of not touching hot things
- Push kettles to the back of the workshop and use back rings of the cooker first
- Ideally keep children out of the kitchen or try keeping them in a highchair or away from the cooker
Bath water
These scalds are incredibly nasty and can happen in seconds
- Put cold water in first then top up with hot
- Test the temperature of the water with your elbow before putting the child into the bath
- Stay with your child in the bathroom in case they fiddle with the hot tap
Fires and Heaters
- A great risk to small children
- Move cots away from radiators
- Fit fireguards around fires and heaters
Child Safety Week is organised by the Child Accident Prevention Trust to raise awareness of the risks of child accidents and how they can be prevented. They offer a range of resources to help promote safety messages in both a fun and engaging way for children. Events are held by a range of different organisations and individuals, including children’s centres, childminders, fire and rescue teams, hospitals, schools etc.