Early Days
Avoiding growing pains
Emma Hammett, from First Aid for Life talks about anticipating developmental milestones to keep your little one safe in your home
I still remember the thud! I had left my baby daughter in the middle of our double bed whilst I nipped to the loo – I was only gone a couple of minutes when I heard a thump, silence and then crying. I knew in that instance that she had learnt not only to roll over once, but twice and possibly 3 times – and that my previously immobile baby had chosen that moment to reach a major milestone! Fortunately she was absolutely fine – but it was a major shock and wake-up call.
Please be careful with your little ones, do not take it for granted that they can be safely left on a changing table whilst you turn your back. Little ones in bouncy chairs can also bounce themselves off, if left unsupervised on counters and kitchen tables and can sustain nasty injuries as a result.
Babies learning to sit are still not stable and should be watched and supported as they can easily topple forward onto their heads. Although this is unlikely to cause any serious damage, it will hurt them and may result in a hefty bruise.
Little ones are naturally inquisitive and once they are crawling they will be into everything. Granny’s handbag could prove lethal. It may contain pills, potential choking items and all sorts of bizarre contents totally unsuitable for a child to play with and is likely to be left on the floor and totally accessible to them. Be especially careful where you leave cups of tea and coffee – as they can still be hot enough to burn a child nearly 10 minutes after they were made. If a child is burnt; run the affected area under cool running water for at least 10 minutes.
"Granny’s handbag could prove lethal. It may contain pills, potential choking items and all sorts of bizarre contents totally unsuitable for a child to play with"
More information on what to do when handling burns can be found here on First Aid for Life's website