Everyday items can be "life-threatening" to children, parents warned

Monday 03 April 2017

A new report issued by Child Accident Prevention Jersey has issued an urgent warning to parents to watch out for everyday items that may appear innocent but pose a “life-threatening” risk to children.

According to the report, 29 children – 22 of which were under five years old – visited A&E last year due to poisoning. Burns or scalds accounted for 57 visits, meanwhile, most frequently the result of parents and carers' hot drinks.

Child Accident Prevention Jersey (CAPJ) Coordinator Mandy Le Tensorer told Express that burns and scalds in under-fives was a “big problem”.

“The majority of those are from hot drinks, so it’s still cups of tea and coffee. We’re reminding parents and carers to keep them at the back of the work surface, not on the coffee table, and don’t drink tea or coffee when you’ve got a baby in your arms.

“You think it’s common sense, but when you’re busy, you do these things because you don’t have time to think about it, and that’s how accidents happen,” she said.

Washing liquid capsules were among the most commonly ingested poisonous substances in 2016, while vitamins, which can be lethal in a high quantity and are often mistaken for sweets, were also found to be a particular risk. 

Some children had drunk liquid from reed diffuser air fresheners and eaten gel-type evaporative beads – described as a “worrying” trend by Mrs Le Tensorer - as well as small button batteries.

“Button batteries are really really dangerous. If they are swallowed and get stuck in the oesophagus, it’s a matter of hours before that child is in a life threatening state,” Ms Le Tensorer added.

Dog safety was also identified as an issue. The report showed that 15 children suffered dog bites in 2016 – the “unfortunate” result of a common misconception that incidents can only occur with “stranger’s dogs rather than family ones”.

However, falls were the primary cause of accidents in all age groups, accounting for over 400 A&E visits. 58.1% of under one-year-olds attended because of a fall - an "unfortunate rise" according to the report - with most babies falling from elevated surfaces, like a sofa or bed.

Boys were said to be most at risk of accidental injury, while both sexes were at an increased likelihood of accident during the summer months.

Pictured: Accidents were most prevalent in the summer months, according to the report.

CAPJ is now reaching out to parents, carers and babysitters, who they feel need to be made equally aware of these everyday dangers.

They’ll have a display at the Amaizin’ Adventure Park this week to educate on the issue, including a reminder to guardians that many seemingly innocuous items and substances should still be locked away or placed in a hard-to-reach position.