Accident Hot Spots: Baby Under 24 Months

Grazed knees and elbows are a part of growing up - as children, the older we get the more our curiosity gets us into scrapes. The more our confidence and abilities develop, the more we are willing to try new things and yearn for the buzz of exciting (dangerous) games and activities.

While that may seem like a sweeping generalisation, there is a direct correlation between a child's development and the nature of the accidents that occur at that stage.

Between birth and 24 months, babies are extremely vulnerable. They depend totally on their parents and carers for their well being and have virtually no control over their surroundings or indeed, their own bodies until they are several months old.

For something so small and static for at least the first nine months or so, it is perhaps surprising that more than 20,000 babies under six months were injured in accidents during 2002 and that a massive 83% of these happened in the home.

Babies and Furniture

A particular hazard that made it into the UK news recently is the danger of babies on sofas. Even small babies can wriggle around and they can make their way unintentionally to the edge of a sofa in one small rolling movement.

With their bodies still at an immature stage in terms of bone development, the fontanel still apparent in the head and no control over their movement i.e. no mechanism to put their hands out and prevent an impact - a fall from this height can be extremely serious for a baby.

As a rule of thumb, babies should be floor-based as much as possible, even when strapped into a bouncer or car seat as there is then nowhere for them to go if they do start to rock or bounce. These become an even bigger cause for concern once a baby starts to crawl, pull themselves up and walk, so try and keep them off raised surfaces as much as possible.

Stairs and Babies

The stairs equally are a danger for babies, though not under their own steam. It is often the case that a parent or carer will be carrying a baby up or down stairs and trip, slip or fall. Often this is mainly due to the person picking something else up at the same time and therefore not having a free hand to hold on with.

Although it's easily done, try not to leave clutter on the stairs, always have a hand free to hold on and always use safety gates. Safety gates are of particular importance when baby starts to crawl, especially when they begin to pull themselves up as the stairs will be a huge adventure - from the top or the bottom.

Suffocation and Drowning

Small babies don't have a great sense of danger and often don't realise they are in danger unless they are in pain. That's why suffocation and drowning are such hot spots for babies. Suffocation can happen when a baby wriggles around to be face down in their cot or wriggles underneath their bedding. For that reason, it's best not to use quilts or pillows until baby is over a year old and they have the reflex to push things off their faces.

Sleep Safety

Much has also been made of not sleeping with babies in the bed if you have been drinking, taking medicine or indeed smoking and this should be observed at all times as adults have been known to be less alert under these influences and suffocation has happened whilst asleep.

As babies get older, their ability to explore becomes greater (as does their curiosity) so make sure plastic bags are well out of reach.

Bath Safety

In the bath, make sure you check the water before you put baby in; babies skin' is much thinner than an adult's and scolding can easily occur. There is a range of bath thermometers and temperature checking devices available on the market nowadays.

Staying with the bath, small babies can only keep their heads up by themselves for a few seconds and even when they are a bit older, it may only be for a short while. Don't leave a baby lying in water, no matter how shallow at any time. They can't sense the danger and if they wobble over or wriggle down into the water they can drown very quickly in as little as a centimetre of water.

Never leave babies (or indeed older children) alone in the bath, even with an older child as they can slip and get into trouble in a matter of seconds.

Small Objects

Although babies are quite inert at this stage, even at a few weeks old they can grip and certainly by the time they are a few months old, their strength can often surprise adults and themselves. They can inflict minor cuts and bruises by being given things to hold that they then flail around and inadvertently hit themselves, so look twice at the kind of toy you give them - keys may make a nice rattly sound but a strong jerky movement could see a baby's face cut or worse an eye injury.

As they get a few months older they begin to put anything and everything in their mouths so choking becomes a big concern. Try and keep small objects away from them and also make sure food is soft and pureed when weaning begins.

Getting About

We've mentioned carrying baby on the stairs but it is also worth mentioning that carrying baby around anywhere is a risk, so it is important to make sure you have some help from a baby sling or papoose and that you know how to use it properly.

Similarly with car safety - the UK has strict rules on where to place baby seats and young children in cars. See our article Child and Baby Car Sear Regulations for more detail on this.

Burns and Scalds

Burns and scalds are another hazard for babies as their skin is so much thinner than an adults (up to 15 times thinner, in fact) so it is important to make sure that you don't leave hot drinks near them, especially older babies. If you are holding a younger baby at the time or breastfeeding, it would only take one of those involuntary kicks or arm-jerks to knock a mug you are holding and splash a baby with scalding hot liquid.

Similarly, baby's hot food and milk can also burn and scald a baby especially if it has been microwaved (baby food warmers are often a safer bet).

As baby gets older and is crawling and walking, radiators and oven doors become an obvious (to us) hazard so make sure they are guarded where possible also.