The winter holidays are one of the busiest travel times of the year, with many Americans hitting the road to visit family and friends or to take an end-of-year vacation. With all the demands and distractions of the season, it can be easy to overlook safety—especially when traveling with young kids.
“We believe every child deserves the gift of safety this holiday season,” said Torine Creppy, president of Safe Kids Worldwide. “While you’re having fun with family and friends, we’re encouraging all parents and caregivers to be especially vigilant when they’re away from home for the holidays. No matter where you go, you can help keep kids safe from preventable injuries by following a few proven and practical tips.”
• Before heading off in a car, double check to make sure you’re using the right car seat or booster for your child, and that it’s properly secured. When used correctly, child safety seats can reduce the risk of death by as much as 71 percent. A special reminder: It is safest to keep kids in a booster seat until they are at least 4’9” tall. A recent Safe Kids study found that four out of five parents moved their child out of a booster seat before the child was big enough.
• If your child is wearing bulky winter coat, avoid the temptation to loosen the car seat harness. You might think your child is securely harnessed when, in fact, the harness is not tight enough because there is so much air in the jacket or coat. The safest option is to adjust the car seat harness when your child is not wearing anything heavy. (This video will show you how to do the pinch test to make sure the harness is snug enough.) A special reminder: Keep your child warm by using a blanket or jacket over the harness.
• If you’re driving in a cold climate, be prepared. Pack extra blankets, food, and diapers, and keep your cell phone fully charged. Check that your exhaust pipe is not clogged with snow or ice to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning. A special reminder: No matter what the climate, be sure to secure lose objects in your car. Store hot foods, household supplies, boxes or gifts, and anything else that could fly around in a crash in your trunk away from passengers.
• Keep sleep safety top of mind. Remember that babies need their own safe place to nap and spend the night. Babies are at risk of suffocation when sleeping on adult beds or sofas, both when they’re alone or when sleeping with someone else. Keep infants in a safe crib, bassinet, or pack-n-play, on a firm mattress with a fitted sheet. Be sure the sleep space is free of toys, pillows, bumpers, and blankets. A special reminder: Use a sleep sack to keep your baby warm.
• Store medicine, cleaning supplies, and other hazards up and away. In your own home, you likely keep medicines and laundry pods out of your child’s reach—but it can be easy to forget to do the same while on the road. Make sure any handbag, backpack, or suitcase containing medicine or other hazardous items stays out of reach of children. A special reminder: When visiting grandparents and other relatives or friends, ask in advance that they store dangerous objects out of sight and out of reach.
• Prioritize toy safety. Gifts of games and toys are one of the best parts of the holidays but before giving a toy to a child, take a quick moment to read instructions and warning labels to make sure it is age-appropriate and doesn’t include small parts or potential choking hazards. (Toys intended for older children may pose a risk to younger, curious siblings, so take care to keep them separate.) A special reminder: Be especially mindful of anything that uses a small lithium battery, including toys, games, remotes, key fobs and even greeting cards. Each year in the United States, more than 2,800 kids are treated in emergency rooms after swallowing button batteries so make sure to keep those objects far from children. On devices you use frequently (like a remote), place a piece of duct tape over the battery compartment to keep it securely closed.
• Talk about firearms before visiting someone’s home. Many Americans keep a gun in their home, so it’s critical to address the issue of gun storage when visiting family or friends. Guns always should be unloaded and secured with effective, child-resistant gun locks and stored in a locked container out of the reach and sight of children. Ammunition should be stored separately in a similar way. A special reminder: Use these tips to help you navigate potentially awkward conversations about guns in a home.
• Guard against of fire hazards. Live trees, candles, and fireplaces help make the season bright but also raise the risk of fires and burns, which are among the leading causes of preventable injury in children ages 0 to 5. Wherever you are, teach kids to stay at least three feet away from wood stoves, fireplaces, and ovens. A special reminder: In the kitchen, cook on the back burners of the stove and turn pot handles away from the edge.
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ABOUT SAFE KIDS WORLDWIDE
Safe Kids Worldwide is a nonprofit organization working to reduce unintentional injuries to children ages 0-19 and build equitable and sustained systems that support injury prevention. Safe Kids works with strategic partners and an extensive network of more than 400 coalitions in the U.S. to reduce traffic injuries, drownings, sleep-related deaths, falls, burns, poisonings, and more. Since 1988, Safe Kids and its partners have contributed to a more than 60 percent reduction in the rate of fatal childhood unintentional injury in the U.S. Learn more at safekids.org.