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Keep your kids safe over the summer

It's a parent's ultimate nightmare - a toddler floating face down in the pool. But with the summer season approaching, pools are not the only things that can be hazardous to your children during the coming holidays.

What are some of the things parents should keep in mind to stop their children from becoming accident statistics?

Pool safety

 

  • Swimming lessons are a good idea, but experts are divided on the age when these should start. The recommended age varies from three months to four years.

     

    General tips

    • Make sure that all children are wearing safety belts, or are strapped into SABS-approved car seats when you travel. Never hold children on the lap.
    • Keep children away from braai fires and inflammable materials. Do no let matches or lighters lie around in your house. The Red Cross Children's Hospital annually treats 900 children for burn injuries.
    • Always make sure that children who are rollerskating or skateboarding wear helmets and knee and elbow pads.
    • Keep plastic bags out of the reach of children. These include packets wrapped around Christmas presents.
    • Prevent choking by keeping round, hard foods and sweets, and any small objects, where children cannot get hold of them.
    • Make sure young children are always supervised by an adult, difficult as it may be with all the distractions over the holiday season.

    Proper childcare can prevent many accidents - make it a priority this summer. For the sake of your children.

    (Susan Erasmus, Health24, updated December 2010)

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