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4 Unexpected Safety Hazards And How To Protect Your Kids

It’s up to you to protect your child from hazards and to familiarize yourself with the safety risks in and around your home and community. While your child will no doubt experience the occasional slip and tumble (after all, that’s part of being a kid), there are a few things you can do to ensure your child doesn’t suffer from more serious injuries.

There are many unexpected hazards that can pose a threat to your kids. Even dander, dust, and other pollutants in your air ducts could pose a hazard. But once you know the risks, you can take the necessary steps to plan for safety.

To help you keep your kids safe and secure, here are four unexpected safety hazards that could impact your child’s health and well-being and what you can do to protect them.

Interior paint

When you’re redecorating your home and picking your theme before painting the walls, the last thing on your mind may be the danger of paint fumes. After all, paint fumes are more commonly associated with spray paints, not your average wall paint.

But according to Sweden’s Dampness in Buildings and Health Study, children with bedroom concentrations of propylene glycol and glycol ether (chemical compounds in household paints) has a 100% higher likelihood of having asthma than those without them.

To protect yourself and your kids from chemical compounds, use eco-friendly house paints and paints that come without VOCs.

Humidity levels

The humidity in your home can have an unexpected effect on the health of your family. Dry air can cause dry skin, nosebleeds, and can impact your ability to fight off infections. Humid air can cause overheating, muscle cramps, dehydration, asthma flare-ups, and allergy symptoms.

To prevent discomfort for the entire family, especially with winter quickly approaching, keep residential humidity levels between 30% to 55% humidity.

Unsupervised teeth brushing

You’re not supervising your child’s daily brushing habits to prevent them from swallowing toothpaste. You’re actually doing it to ensure they’re brushing correctly.

Dental experts recommend supervising your child’s daily brushing habits up until the age of 12. Tooth decay is five times more common than childhood asthma and can have a major impact on your child’s health, so it’s important to make sure they’re using the right brushing techniques to keep the decay away.

Drowning despite parental supervision

With colder weather fast approaching, many families will be going on vacation to someplace warm. Chances are your family will go swimming while you’re there.

It’s important not only to supervise your kids while they’re swimming but also that you understand the signs of drowning. Drowning is the second-leading cause of unintentional injury death for children and it can happen when the child is right next to their parent. This is because dramatizations of drowning don’t actually depict the right signs so parents are unaware their child is in danger.

Here are some of the ways you can tell someone is drowning and needs help:

  • Head tilted back
  • Vertical in the water with little leg movement
  • Hyperventilating or gasping
  • Head bobbing up and down in the water
  • Looking as if they’re trying to climb a ladder
  • Eyes closed or unfocused
  • Mouth at water level
  • Hair covering the face
  • Attempting to roll on their back
  • Weak swim stroke

Always keep an eye out for the signs of drowning and never let your children swim without supervision. Only swim in pools or areas where there’s a lifeguard present.

It’s important to keep your child safe from hazards that could cause a major injury. By looking out for the unexpected safety hazards above, you can better protect your kids and feel secure knowing they’re safe.

Kelsey R.
Author: Kelsey R.

Metro Detroit Mommy writer Kelsey.