How To Teach Your Child To Handle A Home Emergency

Jet, Dec 4, 2000

Many serious accidents and emergencies happen inside the home, and quite often they involve children.

More than 4.5 million children ages 14 and under are treated in hospital emergency rooms each year for injuries that occur in the home, according to statistics from the National SAFE KIDS Campaign. These injuries, which largely include cuts, burns, falls, drowning, suffocation, choking and poisoning, occur when kids are most likely to be out of school and unsupervised.

When things go wrong, you may not be able to come to your child's rescue--all the more reason to teach your son or daughter how to handle an emergency until help arrives.

* Have a basic safety plan for your child to follow. If your child will be home alone, either for a few minutes while you run an errand or for a few hours after school until you get in from work, child-safety experts say you need to give youngsters specific instructions on what to do in an emergency. And periodically drill children on safety procedures to make sure they remember them. Experts also warn that children younger than 6 should never be left alone; those ages 6 to 11 should only be left alone for limited periods.

* Teach your child how to dial 911. Even very young children can be taught to use the phone to call 911 for help. Make sure your child knows their address, phone number and how to tell authorities what the problem is.

* Instruct your child in basic first aid. "If you teach a kid first aid, they start thinking about the consequences of some of the things they do and they are a little less likely to get injuries," says Dr. James M. Small, a pathologist at Presbyterian St. Luke's Medical Center in Denver, Newsday reports. Teach your child how to stop bleeding, what to do for burns and accidental poisoning, and always keep a first-aid kit and manual in an easy-to-locate spot in the house.

Also, consider enrolling your child in a first-aid course that teaches life-saving techniques such as CPR and the Heimlich maneuver for choking.

* Post important numbers. Give your child contact numbers for both parents and a nearby relative or trusted family friend to call in an emergency. Also post numbers for the local poison control center and the family doctor.

* Train your child in fire safety. Fires and burns are the third-leading cause of accidental death at home, the National Safety Council reports. Teach children to never play with matches or lighters, and instruct them not to use the stove unsupervised. Have a fire escape plan and conduct drills with your family. Make sure your children know to stay low and crawl under the smoke to escape fire, and how to stop, drop and roll if their clothes catch on fire.