Early Days
growing pains cont.
A good way to prepare for the next stage is to have a slightly older child over to your home and watch them like a hawk! Everything that they reach for highlights the vulnerability in your house. Be particularly vigilant about electrical cables and kettle flexes as they can be easily pulled and lead to horrendous burns. Be very careful about hanging anything on the edge of a cot and also ensuring that blind cords are safely secured out of reach as every year there are a frightening number of little ones that manage to strangle themselves.
Everything is a potential source of exploration and if at all possible, buy appliances with child safety locks. It is also sensible to get bath taps with an adjustable thermostat to avoid the water burning them. At this stage you will also need locks on your cupboards, safety covers on your plugs and stair gates. Take the time to teach your child to go downstairs backwards.
As children begin to explore further and move faster; they are more prone to head injuries as they are the wrong height for everything and do not look where they are going. Although this sort of accident is unlikely to cause major damage; always treat head injuries seriously; keep a close eye on them for the next 48 hours and if you are concerned or there is anything unusual, get medical help immediately. Heads are highly vascular and will bleed a lot. Keep calm and apply direct pressure to the wound with a clean non-fluffy cloth- you will probably find that the cut is not nearly as big or deep as you first feared. Always get facial wounds assessed by a medical professional.
Further information on head injuries and what to look for and what to do can be found on the First Aid for Life website or by clicking here.
Your child will experience bumps and bruises and this is a normal and healthy way to grow up. The key is to minimise these to minor injuries and ensure that they can explore their surroundings safely and gain confidence and independence as they grow.
More Information
Details about our first aid workshops, including upcoming dates can be found on page 11. Courses can fill up so it's best to ook your place in advance.
It is strongly advised that you attend a Practical First Aid course to understand what to do in a medical emergency. Please visit www.firstaidforlife.org.uk [email protected] or tel 0208 675 4036 for more information about our courses. First Aid for life provides this information for guidance and it is not in any way a substitute for medical advice. First Aid for Life is not responsible or liable for any diagnosis made, or actions taken based on this information.
First Aid for Life is an Award Winning and fully regulated First Aid training provider and our trainers are highly experienced medical and emergency services professionals who will tailor the training to your needs.