According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), it is estimated that about 250 injuries happen during holidays. Most of the incidents reported concern risks involving children.
"Around the holidays there are a lot of disruptions of normal routines and guests visiting and parental supervision might break down," according to Dr. Gary Smith, president of the Child Injury Prevention Alliance in Columbus, Ohio.
It is impossible to know what these children do every second of the day. Therefore safety precautions may come in handy, especially in the middle of all the holiday rush.
Below are some of the most common holiday hazards for kids and guides on how you can best manage them:
Christmas Trees
Kids may pull the trees especially with all its attractive ornaments. This can be very dangerous if the tree is not secured in its stand. Angel hair is made of spun glass. It can cause irritations in the skin and eyes. Electric cords are also very dangerous. Children may put them in their mouths. Exposed frayed wires can burn.
Precaution (As advised by Dr. Leann Kridelbaugh, president and chief medical officer of Children's Health Pediatric Group in Dallas): Make sure lights used come with intact cords. Cords should be taped to the floor. Access to the Christmas Tree should also be secured with a baby gate, in case you are not around.
Christmas Ornaments
Ornaments are also often subject to the attention of children. Children may put them in their mouths and swallow them. They may also get hold of ornaments that are breakable. Some ornaments are also lined with sharp edges.
Precaution: Do away with dangerous ornaments or place them in portions beyond children's reach. Make sure softer ornaments are placed at the lower portion of the tree. In this way, kids will be more secured even if they reach out and play with them.
Poisonous Plants and Flowers
Poinsettia plants have often been worried about as dangerous to children. According to many, they can cause skin irritation and vomitting, in case of ingestion. But poinsettia plants are not as dangerous as we thought them to be.
More attention should be given to mistletoe, amaryllis bulbs, and berries. According to Kridelbaugh, they can cause diarrhea, vomiting and dehydration in kids.
668,111 reported ingestions of these plants have been reported to the American Association of Poison Control Centers from 2000 to 2009. According to a study in Clinical Toxicology, 81 percent of these cases occurred in children from ages 5 and below.
Precaution: Educate your children to not put any plant in their mouths. If there should be any concern, you can dial he national Poison Control Center at 800-222-1222.
Button Batteries/ Batteries
According to as study in Pediatrics in 2012, battery-related injuries increased between 1990 and 2009; 84 percent involve button batteries. Majority of the emergency visits involve children aged 5 and below.
Small lithium batteries (button batteries) are often used in all gadgets, toys, electronic devices and even holiday cards.
Parents should be keen about educating children not to put these batteries into their mouths or any orifice because "the battery has enough charge in it to cause local tissue damage wherever it lodges - and it can perforate the esophagus or nasal septum," according Kridelbaugh.
Precaution: Store these batteries out of children's reach and sight. Ensure that remote control devices are equipped with child-resistant battery compartments that require screwdrivers to open it.
Toy Magnets
Magnets can be super cool toys for kids. However, they can also be very dangerous if a child swallows them.
CPSC banned Buckyballs in 2014. This famous desktop toy has small metal balls that can be arranged into patterns (as they have powerful magnets). If a child swallows these metals, they can fuse into the body. Fusing of these metals inside the body can cause obstruction in the intestines. It can also pinch the walls of the intestine which may cut off the blood supply and cause death of intestine tissues.
Precaution: Buckyballs are now back in the market following a court's decision by November. Its risks to children have not changed. Take caution in allowing these toys in your home, especially if you have children 10 years old and below.
Gift-Related Injuries
"Toys with wheels - scooters, skates, skateboards and bicycles - are a huge hit with kids but there's a learning curve to being able to use them safely," Smith notes.
Precaution: Ensure that you watch over you children as they learn to use these toys. It is also important that you secure protective gears such as helmets, wrist guard and pads, advised Dr. Amy Kaji, associate professor of emergency medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
Visitors' Medications
Medications for hypertension, blood thinners and opioids are very dangerous for kids. Children 5 years and below are the most susceptible. According to a 2012 study in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine, these ages have proven to have the most number of unintentional drug-related poisonings.
Precaution: Hosting parties could mean visitors. It is important that you remind them to keep their medication out of children's reach.
Party Fare
It is very dangerous for kids to get hold of unfinished alcoholic drinks during a party. "Because of their body weight, children require a smaller dose of alcohol for clinical effects to occur," explained Smith "Children have low glycogen stores so when they get poisoned with alcohol, they can get altered mental status along with low blood sugar."
Precaution: Make sure children are aware which beverages are only allowed for children. In case of accidental ingestion of any alcoholic drink, an ER visit is advised.
Holidays or no holidays, it is always important to regard caution over cure.
