
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, July 12, 1990                   TAG: 9008080235
SECTION: PARENTS' GUIDE                    PAGE: 15   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Sara Cox
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

SEEING SAFETY HAZARDS FROM CHILD'S-EYE VIEW

One pediatrician has suggested that parents get down on their hands and knees and crawl around the house to see things from a baby's perspective. Not to better understand the child, exactly, but to better protect him or her from safety hazards.

That way, parents may come across the things that won't occur to them while they are standing up: the rubber tips on door stops, the small Barbie doll accessories, the electric cord draped across the floor, the cupboard door that opens up to medication.

According to Dr. Douglas Althouse of Roanoke's Pediatric Associates, childproofing the house in this way is not critical until a baby becomes mobile. But, in the first months, other safety issues arise. The baby can roll off an elevated surface - even if placed in the middle of the bed, or when your back is turned for an instant to grab a clean diaper.

Babies should never be placed on water beds until 6 months, for danger of suffocating. Formula should never be heated in the microwave, because uneven heating can cause burns. And always, the issue of car-seat safety is pervasive from the time the baby leaves the hospital.

According to the Injury Prevention Program of the American Academy of Pediatrics, "car crashes are the biggest danger to your child's life and health. Most auto injuries and deaths can be prevented by the use of car safety seats." But, the prevention program cautions, the seat must be up to par and must be installed properly.

From 7 to 12 months, babies become mobile and curious. Grabbing a hanging table cloth, tipping over an end table, or standing up and falling into the toilet can all be prevented by thinking ahead of the baby.

Keep toilet seats down and bathroom doors shut. Put safety gates up at stairways and doors. Remove or pad sharp-edged furniture. Electrical outlet covers should be used, steps and decks should be off limits and balloons can cause choking.

From 1 to 2 years, and as early as babies start to teeth, everything goes into their mouths. The American Academy of Pediatrics advises using safety caps on all medicines and keeping household products up and away. Cupboard and refrigerator latches also keep children safe and allow adult access.

"The most common age for accidental ingestion," said Althouse, "is age 2; second is age 3." From ages 2 to 4, children run, bike and jump. Falling is a great danger - the Injury Prevention Program cites that falling out of windows, down stairs and off everything they climb is possible and suggests locking doors to dangerous areas, using gates on stairways and window guards above the first floor.

In addition, said Althouse, as the birth order increases, there is a greater risk of an accident. "Mothers can't pay as much attention to the third child," he said.

On the Framingham Safety Survey, part of the American Academy of Pediatrics' program, questions such as these often hit home: Do you put the crib side up whenever you leave the baby unattended? Do you leave the baby alone in the house?

by CNB