How Safe is Your Home for Young Children? Test Your Knowledge by Playing the 'Stork Shipping Company' Injury Prevention Game.
Home Safety
Homes are full of hazards for babies and small children. A majority of our pediatric injuries at UNC Children's Hospital happen because of unintentional falls, which are more likely to happen at home than anywhere else. Falls and other home safety hazards such as poisoning from medicine or cleaning products or choking on small objects or button batteries can all be prevented by taking simple precautions.
Top 5 Home Safety Tips:
- Prevent Falls in the Home: Unintentional falls are the leading cause of non-fatal injury worldwide. While there is no substitution for supervision, there are many things you can do around the house that can reduce risks. For a complete list of top tips for preventing falls click here.
- Keep Medicine and Cleaners Out of Sight and Out of Reach: Cleaning products are often stored on bottom cabinets or on table or counter tops, which can cause serious poisoning if children ingest them. Unsubscribed medicine and pills can also cause children to be sick and can even be fatal. Click here for tips on storing cleaning products and here for medication storage safety.
- Secure Your Firearms: Safely storing your gun is not only your responsibility as a parent or caretaker but it is also the law in North Carolina. For information and options on how safely secure your firearm click here. For additional safety tips for gun safety in the home click here. You can also visit our Gun Safety page for more information.
- Select Toys for Your Child's Age: Small pieces of toy and puzzles or button batteries can cause choking and internal burns. Make sure your child plays only with toys that are right for their age and developmental levels. For tips on how to do this click here.
- Always supervise kids at play on playgrounds and on trampolines: In addition to supervision, there are certain playground features that can reduce your child's risk of injury while playing. For playground safety tips click here. Trampolines can be fun but are often hazardous. For trampoline safety tips click here.
Learning & Resources
Safe Kids Orange and Chatham Firearm Safety PDF (English and Spanish) [DOWNLOAD]
Safe Kids Orange and Chatham Safe Sleep PDF (English and Spanish) [DOWNLOAD]
Safe Kids Orange and Chatham Falls Safety PDF (English and Spanish) [DOWNLOAD]
Safe Kids Orange and Chatham Fire and Burn Safety PDF (English and Spanish) [DOWNLOAD]
Safe Kids Orange and Chatham Medication Safety PDF (English and Spanish) [DOWNLOAD]
Trampoline Safety Tips Poster PDF [DOWNLOAD]
Sleep Safety Tips PDF [DOWNLOAD]
Medication Safety English PDF [DOWNLOAD]
Laundry Packet Safety Tips PDF [DOWNLOAD]
Playground Safety[DOWNLOAD]
Fall Prevention Tips [DOWNLOAD]
Other Categories
For More information, please don’t hesitate to inquire:
101 Manning Dr., Chapel Hill, North Carolinatarheeltrauma@unchealth.unc.edu