As grandparents, our instinct to keep our grandchildren safe is so strong! It can feel frightening to watch the news, knowing they are growing up in a world that often seems like a precarious place. Viruses, natural disasters, political unrest, global warming: There is so much we can’t protect them from.

But there is also so much we can do to keep them safe. Understanding the most common sources of accidental injury and taking steps to reduce those risks is something we can all do. Yet too many of us don’t take the time.

If that's to change, the first step is to know what the dangers are. Do you know what the most common causes of accidental injury in children under five are? Here they are (in alphabetical order, not by risk):

• Burns

• Choking

• Drowning

• Falls

• Poisoning

• Motor vehicle accidents

• Suffocation

Most accidents can be prevented. Are you doing all you can to keep your grandkids safe while they are in your home or under your care? Remember that accidents happen in the blink of an eye, and most of us are not as prepared for the impulsiveness of small children as we once were.

Let’s change that and take these important steps to keep our grandchildren safe:
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Supervise your grandchildren at all times
Never leave a young child alone, especially near water, stairs, flames, or sharp objects. If you have a pool, stream, or fishpond on your property, you need to be especially vigilant. Drowning is the leading cause of accidental death for children ages 1-4, and one that can be prevented with some simple steps. All grandparents should read What Grandparents Need to Know: Water Safety, even if the only source of water at your home is the bathtub.

Childproof your home

Be sure your grandchildren play in safe areas and with safe toys, and watch them closely during playtime. Use safety gates to block off stairways and cover electrical outlets. Make sure the dishwasher tabs and laundry pods are out of reach and out of sight, and lock up chemicals and medicines. Medications are the leading cause of child poisoning, and up to 20 percent of pediatric poisonings involve a grandparent’s medication. Program the number for Poison Help into your phone: 1-800-222-1222. Read more about how to protect your grandchildren from accidental poisoning here.

Use car seats every single time

Injuries suffered while riding in cars is the number one preventable cause of death in young children. Of the children 12 years old and younger who died in a crash in 2017, 35% were not buckled up. Always use appropriate car seats and seat belts for young children, and make sure they are installed according to both the car seat and vehicle manuals. Car seat recommendations are regularly updated as more and better research becomes available, and it’s important to stay current on the latest guidelines. Read this blog post to find out more about what grandparents need to know about car seat safety.

Learn about burn prevention

Children have no concept of what “hot” means. That’s why it’s so important for caregivers to be extra vigilant about potential burn hazards. A child’s thin, tender skin burns far more easily than adults, so something that might just be uncomfortable to us can cause a severe burn for them. The average home has multiple sources of potential burns, so make sure to read What Grandparents Need to Know About Burn Prevention to familiarize yourself with all of them (and learn my own story about how quickly a child can be burned).

Provide a safe sleeping environment

Place babies on their back to sleep, and use a firm mattress and tight-fitting sheet in the crib. Nothing but the baby should be in the crib: no blankets, stuffed animals or sleep aids. Make sure any crib you use conforms to the latest safety guidelines. Never put a baby to sleep on a couch or in bed with you.

Be careful what you feed them

Know the common choking hazards and the foods that are dangerous for babies. Make sure you are aware of any food allergies, which are on the rise and can be fatal. Supervise your grandchildren while they are eating, and don’t let them eat while they are running around or playing. Read more about food and feeding safety here.

Be prepared

No matter how many precautions you take, accidents still happen. When they do, will you be prepared? You will be if you take these steps:

• Take an infant/child CPR class. The Red Cross offers one online here.

• Take a class on helping a choking child

• Keep emergency contact information, including the number for poison control, in an easily accessible location. Better yet, program them into your phone RIGHT NOW!

• If you are caring for your grandchild, make sure you have contact information for their pediatrician and any other health care providers they regularly see.

There will always be things we can’t protect our grandchildren from, no matter how much we wish we could. That makes it even more pressing to take the steps we can to make sure preventable accidents don’t happen.

Keeping your grandchildren safe is important to us, too. That’s why we’ve made the Baby Care & Safety section of New Grandparent Essentials available for just $10. It’s the quickest way to make sure you have all the information you need to keep your grandbaby safe from preventable accidents. Find out more here.
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