All parents want to keep their children safe from harm. At one time, this simply consisted of telling the child not to talk to strangers and having household furnishing placed so that the child would be hurt. Standard methods of child safety were concentrated on the home such as keeping lids of pots facing inward so that children would not reach for them and be scalded by hot liquids, warning them not to touch the hot surface of the stove, keeping medicines safely out of their reach and keeping electrical outlets plugged so that they were unable to poke object in there. These child safety measures are still practiced but other dangers have arisen in society that requires parents to be more diligent than ever.



Child Safety in Vehicles

When travelling in a vehicle, regulations are now in place that require children under the age of 8 to sit in a car seat. The size of the car seat required changes as the child grows. Mothers are not allowed to take newborn babies home from the hospital unless there is a car seat installed in the vehicle. The carrying seat for infants and children less than 1 year old should never be placed in a front seat where the air bag is operational. When they are in the back seat they should be facing the rear rather than the back of the front seat and an adult should be in the back seat with the child. The child should be tightly installed in the seat with the harness straps secured snugly. From ages 1 to 4, the car seat can be placed so that the child is facing toward the front. Toddlers and young children sometimes need to have a booster seat so that they use the vehicle seat belts. The shoulder belt must rest across the chest and on the shoulder, but must never be placed under the child's arm.

Child Safety on the Internet

Parents must be cognizant of a child's usage of the internet because of the unsavoury characters they can come in contact with. There are some child safety methods parents can use to ensure that their children do not have access to pornographic sites or become email pals with someone who may intend to exploit them. Warning children never to give out information such as address, telephone number and the name of their school is sometimes not enough to protect them. Parents need to know the sites their children use and have a blocker on the computer that limits the access the children have to certain sites. Children should never be allowed to meet someone they talk to over the Internet, at least not without one of the parents being present. Advise them never to respond to messages from people they don't know.

Child Safety and Medicine

Medicines should always be stored in a cool dry place out of the reach of children. Brightly colored pills are very attractive and children may think they are candy. Parents should advise their children not to accept any food or candy from someone they don't know. This could contain harmful substances that could lead to an overdose or death.