Burn Prevention Safety Tips for Children
Burn injury accidents can occur at any age, but children are at a greater risk because they like to explore and are curious. Burn safety is a new concept for young children. Kids learn one of the most challenging lessons: flickering flames, stoves, and radiators can be painfully hot. If they play with lighters or matches, the consequences can threaten the entire family.
Below are some common causes of burn accidents and the steps to keep burn injuries from happening to your child.
Causes of Burns and How to Prevent Them
- Chemicals
- Electricity
- Flame
- Fire play
- Scalds from hot water
- Kitchen and cooking
- Sunburn
Burn Safety Indoors
Many household items such as food, bathwater, and electrical outlets can cause childhood burns. To prevent burn injuries in your home:
- Turn the pot and pan handles toward the back of the stove and use back burners when cooking.
- Don’t hold your child while cooking, drinking, or carrying hot beverages.
- Keep hot liquids and foods away from the edges of tables and counters.
- Block access to the fireplace, stove, radiators, and space heaters.
- Keep hot appliances such as clothes irons and curling irons unplugged and out of reach.
- Be careful with warming up food or liquids in a microwave. Microwaves tend to heat foods unevenly. Test food temperature before feeding your child.
- Keep electrical wires and cables out of the way so that your child doesn’t pull on them. Cover unused electrical outlets with safety caps.
- Check labels to ensure pajamas, blankets, and mattresses meet federal flammability standards.
- Teach your child to turn on the cold water first, then add the hot water slowly.
- Set your home hot water tank temperature at 120°f or lower.
- Check the water temperature before putting your child in the bathtub, and watch them while they are in the tub.
- Keep your child away from stoves, space heaters, and fireplaces. The glass window of gas fireplaces can get pretty hot.
- Teach your child not to use electrical appliances in or near the sink, bathtub, or shower.
- Make sure the fuse box is closed and locked.
- Install smoke detectors in every room and check the batteries every six months.
- Keep all chemicals out of your child’s reach and in a locked cabinet.
Burn Safety Outdoors
To protect children from outdoor burns:
- Don’t let your child play with fireworks or sparklers.
- Don’t let your child go near fire pits, campfires, and grills.
- Don’t allow them to run near campfires.
- Don’t allow your child to climb towers, power poles, or trees near power lines.
- Don’t let your child touch fallen power lines.
- Check for hot buckles or straps before putting your child in a car seat.
- Cover the car seat with a blanket or towel if you park in direct sunlight.
- Limit your child to sun exposure. Sunburns mainly occur between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm.
- Apply sunblock with an SPF of 30 or higher and reapply after water exposure. Sunburn can occur on cloudy days and in the shade if your child is near water.
While you can’t always keep your children safe from injuries, following the simple safety tips above can help prevent fire and burn injuries in your home.
Watch YouTube Video: Precautions Taken to Prevent Burns from Happening with Children at Home. The video below discusses some of the most common types of burn injuries seen in children burned at home and what parents need to do to prevent them.
Sacramento Burn Injury Lawyer
I’m Ed Smith, a Sacramento burn injury attorney. A serious burn injury can cause physical and emotional scars to your child. If you or a family member has suffered catastrophic burn injuries in an accident, call our skilled injury lawyers at (916) 921-6400 or (800) 404-5400 for free, friendly, and compassionate advice.
Our knowledgeable legal team has helped injured individuals get fair compensation for personal injury and wrongful death cases since 1982.
See our client reviews and ratings on Yelp, Avvo, and Google and our history of settlements and verdicts.
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Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash
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