For some reason, when random accidents injure/take the life of kids, it really shakes me up. So, last week, I was really sad to learn about the accidental death of Mike Tyson’s 4-year-old daughter. She had been strangled by a cord on a treadmill.
One great thing about working in the parenting field is that you have access to all types of experts. I immediately emailed my contact person at Safe Kids USA to see if they had anyone that could address child safety in regards to exercise rooms/gyms (in-home and out). Yesterday, I had a telephone call with Chrissy Cianflone, the Director of Program Operations at Safe Kids USA, and we had a very helpful conversation. Since it turned out that the case with Tyson’s daughter was simply a tragic accident/it’s very rare for kids to be strangled at home by exercise equipment, we talked about several things that parents should be more aware of in the home…
1. Cords: Parents need to be mindful of infants and toddlers playing with common household items like lamp/blind/computer cords. Tie them up out of the reach of kids and make sure that they’re not accessible. That also includes clothing items like drawstrings/necklaces/scarves. Kids are at risk of playing with them in a dangerous manner until they’re older/know better.
2. Adult supervision: Of course no one can watch their kid 24 hours, 7 days a week. However, it is important for parents to watch their kids – especially when they’re in areas where they have access to potentially dangerous items (i.e. treadmills, large televisions, etc.) Since we can’t watch our kids all of the time, it’s important that we limit access to potential dangers.
3. Secure furniture: Small kids use furniture to creep and climb. That’s why it’s important that stands/dressers/televisions are properly secured. Be sure to use furniture straps to secure large pieces of furniture and equipment so that small kids won’t be able to pull them down on top of themselves. (As I listened to this point, I made a mental note to get a strap for our new flat-screen television ASAP!)
4. Check recalled products: Toys, clothing and all types of other products are constantly being recalled for a variety of reasons. Parents need to get those items out of their homes for safety’s sake. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) lists recalls. You can also sign up on their site to get email notices of products as they are recalled by category (toys/clothing/etc.) As I glanced at their site, I noticed that there is an “ESPECIALLY FOR KIDS” section.
5. Toys: If parents have children of different ages in their homes (like many of us!), it’s important that they store each child’s toys separately. It’s potentially hazardous to the younger kids to play with their older sibling’s toys (especially because of the small parts). It is important that parents follow the recommendations/warning labels that come with toys. Chrissy made a great point that I want to emphasize. Many parents overestimate their child’s intelligence, but underestimate their child’s ability. In other words (and I’m guilty of this too!) we think that our kids are so smart that they can “handle” toys designed for older kids. However, we don’t realize that our kids are able to use these “older” toys in a way that can cause them harm. Being able to handle toys is not an issue of intelligence; it’s an issue of development. Safe Kids USA has a great page on their site that shares various safety tips in a wide variety of categories. It’s definitely worth a look!