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Burn safety: Protect your child from burns
Burn-safety outdoors
These burn-safety measures can protect children from outdoor hazards:
- Watch grills and fire pits. Don't allow children to play near these potential hazards.
- Check car seats. Before placing your child in a car seat, check for hot straps or buckles. If you park in direct sunlight, cover the car seat with a towel or blanket.
- Forgo backyard fireworks. Leave fireworks to trained professionals.
Fire safety counts, too
Take these simple precautions to prevent fires:
- Lock up matches and lighters. Store matches, lighters and flammable liquids in a locked cabinet or drawer. Teach children that matches and lighters aren't toys.
- Be careful with candles and cigarettes. Keep burning candles out of reach, and extinguish candles before leaving the room. If you smoke, avoid smoking in the house — especially in bed. Be sure cigarettes are completely out before throwing them away.
- Use space heaters with care. Keep space heaters at least three feet (about one meter) away from bedding, drapes, furniture and other flammable materials. Keep children away from space heaters. Never leave a space heater on when you go to sleep or place a space heater near someone who's sleeping.
- Keep your fireplace clean. An annual cleaning and inspection can help prevent a chimney fire.
In case of emergency, keep fire extinguishers handy throughout your home. Teach children to leave a burning building by crawling under the smoke, and to stop, drop and roll if clothes catch fire. And be sure to install and maintain smoke alarms on every level of your home and outside sleeping areas. Being prepared for an emergency can be the best safety tool of all.
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References
- Treating and preventing burns. American Academy of Pediatrics. http://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/injuries-emergencies/Pages/Treating-and-Preventing-Burns.aspx. Accessed Nov. 10, 2010.
- Information about smoke alarms. U.S. Fire Administration. http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/campaigns/usfaparents/alarms/. Accessed Nov. 10, 2010.
- Match and lighter safety. U.S. Fire Administration. http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/campaigns/usfaparents/matches/. Accessed Nov. 10, 2010.
- Information about home fire escape planning. U.S. Fire Administration. http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/campaigns/usfaparents/escape/. Accessed Nov. 10, 2010.
- Children: Fire prevention and home fire safety. U.S. Fire Administration. http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/media/quick_response/ffwf-1.shtm. Accessed Nov. 10, 2010.
- Bedroom fire safety helps you sleep sound at night: A factsheet on bedroom fire prevention. U.S. Fire Administration. http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/downloads/pdf/fswy2.pdf. Accessed Nov. 10, 2010.
- Home fire prevention and preparedness. National Safety Council. http://www.nsc.org/news_resources/Resources/Documents/Home_Fire_Prevention_and_Preparedness.pdf. Accessed Nov. 10, 2010.
- Candle safety tips. National Fire Protection Association. http://www.nfpa.org/itemDetail.asp?categoryID=1710&itemID=41182&URL=Research%20&%20Reports/Fact%20sheets/Candles/Candle%20safety%20tips. Accessed Nov. 10, 2010.
- Burn injury fact sheet. National Safe Kids Campaign. http://www.preventinjury.org/PDFs/BURN_INJURY.pdf. Accessed Nov. 10, 2010.
- Burn prevention. Home Safety Council. http://www.homesafetycouncil.org/SafetyGuide/sg_burns_w001.asp. Accessed Nov. 10, 2010.
- CPSC warns of hazards from furnaces, space heaters and fireplaces. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml06/06053.html. Accessed Nov. 10, 2010.
- Baby-proofing your home. National Safety Council. http://www.nsc.org/news_resources/Resources/Documents/Baby-Proofing_Your_Home.pdf. Accessed Nov. 10, 2010.
- Burns: Avoiding household burns. American College of Emergency Physicians. http://www.acep.org/content.aspx?id=25990&terms=burns. Accessed Nov. 10, 2010.
- Fire safety tips. American Academy of Pediatrics. http://www.aap.org/advocacy/releases/firesafety.htm. Accessed Nov. 10, 2010.
- Formula feeding of term infants. In: Kleinman RE, ed. Pediatric Nutrition Handbook. 6th ed. Elk Grove Village, Ill.: American Academy of Pediatrics; 2009:61.
- Hoecker JL (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester Minn. Nov. 12, 2010.
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