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25
Holiday Safety Tips
To
help your holiday season be accident free, here are some important
safety tips for your home beginning with Christmas Trees,
Lights, Toys and Visiting Precautions from the American Academy
of Pediatrics. Take a moment to review them to ensure a happy
and safe holiday season for your family.
Trees
· When purchasing an artificial tree, look for the
label "Fire Resistant."
· When purchasing a live tree, check for freshness.
A fresh tree is less of a fire hazard. A fresh tree is green,
needles are hard to pull from branches and when bent between
your fingers, needles do not break. The trunk butt of a fresh
tree is sticky with resin, and when tapped on the ground,
the tree should not lose many needles.
· When setting up a tree at home, place it away from
fireplaces, radiators or portable heaters. Because heated
rooms dry live trees out rapidly, be sure to keep the stand
filled with water. Place the tree out of the way of traffic
and do not block doorways.
· Cut a few inches off the trunk of your tree to expose
the fresh wood. This allows for better water absorption and
will help to keep your tree from drying out and becoming a
fire hazard.
· Check all tree lights-even if you've just purchased
them-before hanging them on your tree. Make sure all the bulbs
work and that there are no frayed wires, broken sockets or
loose connections.
Lights
· Never use electric lights on a metallic tree. The
tree can become charged with electricity from faulty lights,
and a person touching a branch could be electrocuted.
· Before using lights outdoors, check labels to be
sure they have been certified for outdoor use. To hold lights
in place, string them through hooks or insulated staples,
not nails or tacks. Never pull or tug lights to remove them.
· Plug all outdoor electric decorations into circuits
with ground fault circuit interrupters to avoid potential
shocks.
· Turn off all lights when you go to bed or leave the
house. The lights could short out and start a fire.
Decorations
· Use only non-combustible or flame-resistant materials
to trim a tree. Choose tinsel or artificial icicles of plastic
or nonleaded metals. Leaded materials are hazardous if ingested
by children.
· Never use lighted candles on a tree or near other
evergreens. Always use non-flammable holders, and place candles
where they will not be knocked down.
· In homes with small children, take special care to
avoid decorations that are sharp or breakable, keep trimmings
with small removable parts out of the reach of children to
avoid the child swallowing or inhaling small pieces, and avoid
trimmings that resemble candy or food that may tempt a child
to eat them.
Toy
Safety
· Follow recommended age ranges on toy packages. Toys
that are too advanced could be a safety hazard for younger
children.
· Before buying a toy or allowing your child to play
with a toy that he has received as a gift, read the instructions
carefully. If the toy is appropriate for your child, show
him how to use it properly.
· Be careful of holiday gift wrapping, like bags, paper,
ribbons and bows. These items can pose suffocation and choking
hazards to a small child.
· To prevent both burns and electrical shocks, don't
give young children (under age ten) a toy that must be plugged
into an electrical outlet. Instead, buy toys that are battery-operated.
· Children under age three can choke on small parts
contained in toys or games. Government regulations specify
that toys for children under age three cannot have parts less
than 1 1/4 inches in diameter and 2 1/4 inches long.
· Children under age 8 can choke or suffocate on uninflated
or broken balloons. Remove strings and ribbons from toys before
giving them to young children.
· Watch for pull toys with strings that are more than
12 inches in length. They could be a strangulation hazard
for babies.
Happy
Visiting
· Clean up immediately after a holiday party. A toddler
could rise early and choke on leftover food or come in contact
with alcohol or tobacco.
· Remember that the homes you visit may not be childproofed.
Keep an eye out for danger spots.
· Keep a laminated list with all of the important phone
numbers you or a baby-sitter should likely need in case of
an emergency. Include the police and fire department, your
pediatrician and the poison control center.
· Ask your neighbor if he has a gun before sending
your kids over to play. If the answer is yes, you need to
make absolutely sure that all guns are stored unloaded and
locked - ideally in a gun safe - with ammunition locked separately.
Include the question along with other things you might normally
discuss before sending your child to someone's house.
Fireplaces
· Use care with "fire salts," which produce
colored flames when thrown on wood fires. They contain heavy
metals that can cause intense gastrointestinal irritation
and vomiting if eaten. Keep them away from children.
· Do not burn wrapping papers in the fireplace. A flash
fire may result as wrappings ignite suddenly and burn intensely.
Safety Tips are provided by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Please have a happy and safe holiday season!
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