Children and Gun Safety

Are you a gun owner with children in the house? Do you have your firearm safely secured away from your children? According to reports, some 900 children are seen at hospitals for accidents pertaining to guns. These accidents could be prevented with just a few simple steps.

About one in three families with kids keep at least one gun at home in the United States. Safe Kids says that’s nearly 22 million children exposed to handguns, rifles and shotguns.

What’s even more alarming is that experts say kids as young as 3-years-old are strong enough to pull the trigger of many handguns.

A federal law, called the Child Safety Lock Act of 2005" requires every handgun to have a storage or safety device sold with it. But it’s up to gun owners to enforce safety rules at home.

 

Child Bath Safety

GreatDad.com has some great child safety tips for giving your small child a bath, which is something that many parents worry about. The full list can be found on their site, but here are some of the most important tips:

-Protect your child from falling or hurting themselves on faucets and spouts by placing a towel over the sharp object.  We like the Boon Flo faucet cover for this purpose.

-Always check the temperature of the water before you bathe your child in it. It should never exceed 120 F. Very hot water can scald your baby while extremely cold water can lead to serious illnesses.

-Never leave the child alone, not even for a minute. Every year, several cases of infants drowning are reported even in very little water.

 

Child Safety Advice

While reading up on child safety it is usually a very bleak subject. There’s nothing worse than tragedies that happen with children, and it is tough to hear about. So stumbling upon this impassioned editorial by a former firefighter about his

child’s safety in his home

was a great change of pace to read. Please check out the entire article for yourself.

Toy Safety

New laws on the books to further regulate consumer protections in regards to children’s toys and other items for your child go a long way to helping you keep them safe. But is it enough? With all of the child safety worries out there these days, US News and World Report has put together a list of five ways to keep your kids safe at home.

1. Don’t buy toys with rare Earth magnets.
2. Shun metal jewelry  for kids.
3. Be suspicious of brightly painted wooden and plastic toys.
4. Avoid plastic toys if phthalates scare you.
5. Check recall notices

Check out their article for further information on these five issues.

Window Hazards

A great tip from WSAW.com regarding precocious toddlers and the hazards of windows in the home:

About 2.5 million children are injured or killed each year because of hazards in homes, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

The good news is, there are precautions parents can take to keep their kids safe.

A local child care provider says being constantly aware of where your child is, is vitally important.

But in the case of the Schofield child who fell out of a window Wednesday, there are products available that can prevent such accidents.

Wausau Child Care Executive Director Jen Kowalski says it’s important to realize that a simple, removable window screen will not hold a child.

She says on the market, consumers can find window guards, similar to safety gates; window stoppers, that will keep a window from openign too far; and window netting, that will allow for air in the room and is strong enough to hold a child.

Kowalski says children are capable of exceptional things.

"A toddler can surprise you. One day they can’t do something and the next day they can and so just remembering what stage your child is in development, and you know are they getting to the point where they’re starting to crawl out of their crib or open up doors," she said.

Kowalski says besides dangerous windows: doors, cribs, ovens and even dishwashers pose a potential risk.

Turning your back for just a second is enough time for your child to get seriously hurt. That’s why she says you should check out all the child safety products available.