Michelle Sterling discusses home safety and how to keep babies and kids safe at home.
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Keeping Babies and Kids Safe at Home
Featured Speaker:
Michelle Sterling, MEd, CPST
Michelle Sterling is a Senior Wellness and Safety Specialist for St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital and the Safe Kids Greater Tampa Coordinator. Michelle was an educator for ten years prior to coming to St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital and has her masters of science in education. As a Wellness and Safety Specialist, Michelle educates children and families throughout our community on how to stay safe and prevent injuries involving water safety, bicycle and pedestrian safety, child passenger safety, safe sleep, home safety, proper nutrition, and the importance of physical activity. Michelle serves as an active member on the following committees: Child Abuse Death Review team, the Pinellas County School Health Advisory committee, Fetal Infant Mortality Review team, and the Pinellas Preventable Child Death Planning team. She has a passion for keeping our children safe and healthy. Transcription:
Keeping Babies and Kids Safe at Home
Introduction: Here's another edition of the BayCare Health Systems podcast series, BayCare Health Chat with Melanie Cole.
Melanie Cole: For parents of children at any age, keeping them safe is our number one priority. This is BayCare Health Chat, I'm Melanie Cole, and today we're discussing keeping babies and kids safe at home. Joining me is Michelle Sterling. She's a senior wellness and safety specialist with the St. Joseph's Children's Wellness and Safety Center. Michelle, I'm so glad to have you with us. If you had to pick the most important thing, the first most important thing you'd like parents to know about at home safety for our little kiddos and childproofing our homes, what would it be?
Michelle Sterling: I would have to say that one of the most important things that I would pick out would be to childproof your home. We don't think of that as adults. We're used to things being located where they're at. We might've lost that coin months ago, but as an infant they're going to find that the first time they begin to start crawling. So we want to get down to their level and make sure that we can see anything that they might be getting their hands on. Because as infants they explore their world through their mouth. So it's almost immediately as soon as they find something it's going directly into their mouth.
Host: Well that is certainly true as a mother, I can attest to that. So then let's kind of start with choking. It's our hugest concern, one of our hugest concerns. What should we know about the choking hazard? You just mentioned crawling around on the ground, making sure the coin or battery or anything we've dropped they can't get their hands on and choke on, but food as well. And we have to feed them many times a day. Little ones like you know, two, three years old. What should we know about choking hazards and food?
Michelle Sterling: So when it first comes to choking hazards, a great idea and rule of thumb would be to take a paper towel holder and anything that can fit inside that paper towel holder, could essentially fit into a child or infant's mouth. So you want to be real careful with things like small toys that maybe an older child in the home might have to play with, little game pieces, tokens, things like that that we wouldn't think would be a hazard. But as an infant, they're going to put that in their mouth once they find it. You want to make sure when it comes to any types of food items, say a grape. We're used to taking a grape and allowing our older children to put that into their mouth. Now when it comes to infants and toddlers, we want to cut those grapes up, not only in half, but into quarters. Same goes for hot dogs. We think that we're going to give a child a hot dog and cut it into slices and it'll be good. Well, it ends up being the same size as a coin, and it could get stuck as they go to swallow it.
So you want to not only just cut it into those slices, but go ahead and cut it down into quarters. Anything that you think could potentially get stuck in their, when they go to swallow, you're going to want to cut up to even smaller pieces. And we want to also be careful with hard candies making sure that if you have that around the house or older children, that they're not giving those to those smaller children, they could choke on those. Another thing we'd be real careful about is whenever we have parties and celebrations we always want to decorate with balloons. We want to make sure that we're not using latex balloons. Those children, infants seem to like the sound they make when they rub latex balloons on their teeth. And then so when those balloons go to pop, it's an instant reaction for any of us when we get shocked or surprised to gasp and suddenly take in air.
So those pieces of balloons can then get sucked into their throats and get stuck. So those take a special tool in order for a hospital doctors to be able to pull those out. So if you think of Mylar balloons, instead they're shiny, they last longer and then they don't do that whenever they are broken, they're harder to break as well, so we don't recommend any balloons at all. But if you are going to have a celebration, try using the Mylar balloons instead. Also those cute burettes that we want to put into our baby's hair beads, any stuffed animals that might have eyeballs attached to them, things like that. We want to be real careful because as they get bored, they're going to start pulling things off, pulling barrettes out of their hair, and then what I said earlier about taking everything to their mouth, it's going to instantly go to their mouth.
Host: I have never heard that about balloons before in all of my years. Michelle, what an interesting and so important vital piece of information you just gave parents. Thank you for that. Now as long as we're along those lines, poison and we're in the kitchen, what should we know about things that we may not think are poisoned but can really be toxic to children? Even our pets in the bathroom, in the kitchen, things that we may not realize,
Michelle Sterling: Right. So we want to make sure that we're storing all of our household products and cleaning solutions out of their sites and reach because you and I, we might have those cabinets under the sink where we keep our cleaning supplies. But if you think about that, that is right at eye level for infants that are starting to crawl and we probably all of us out there have had children that as soon as they start crawling they want to open those cabinets and explore. So we want to make sure that we're keeping all of those products up high and out of their reach, out of their eye level when it comes to bathrooms, kitchens, laundry rooms, any place where you store your products, keep them up high. And we want to keep them in their original containers. We don't want to put any potentially poisonous product in something other than its original container.
For instance, if you want to reuse a plastic, say soda bottle, we don't want to pour anything out of its original bottle into, or if you make your own homemade, make sure that it is clearly labeled what's inside of it. Because as a child, they have no idea of what you might have put into that. Also cleaning products, they look like candy. So we want to make sure that we're keeping them put up and out of their reach. Same goes for medications that we may be taking or vitamins even can be potentially hazardous for infants if they take too many of them if they were to get their hands on them. So keep those out of their reach as well. And those are things that we don't think of, especially maybe daily medications. We might want to keep them in a spot where we can just grab them, make sure you're keeping those put away.
Host: So this is really great information and I'd like to give the poison control number, which is one 800-222-1222 which is available anytime. If you have a fear that your child has ingested a toxic substance. Now Michelle drowning is one of the leading causes of injury related deaths among children one to four. In Florida, lots of people have a pool. Tell us about drowning and what you want us to know about the importance of always having somebody watching, having safety zones, protections in place.
Michelle Sterling: Yes, drowning is one of the leading causes. And in Florida we have water all around us. So not only the pools, but we have the lakes, we have the rivers, we have the oceans. So pretty much water is in every neighborhood. If you don't have a pool in your own backyard. We want to first make sure that there's active supervision when it comes to children being in and around water. We want to make sure that we are giving them our undivided attention. Put all of the devices down. I know it's hard, we like to multitask, but when it comes to water, we want to make sure that we are avoiding all distractions of any kind. Small children can drown in as little as one inch of water. So that goes for like buckets you might have outside maybe or your planters where you have plants in them and it's rained. It does rain here a lot. So we want to make sure that we're keeping those clear of any standing water because as infants begin to walk, they toddle, they're very top heavy, they go very interested in fascinated with water.
So they go to play with it and they, they fall over into a bucket or maybe a little plastic pool and they can't get themselves out. So that's how we've had some drownings occur whenever there's only one into water and people think, Oh, that wouldn't happen. Well it does. So we want to make sure that they're keeping those emptied, flipped upside down after a bath time. Make sure that you're emptying out that water as well. Let's say you're having a bunch of people together and we don't want to assume at a get together that somebody is watching the children in the pool or that all of the children that might be in the pool are good swimmers because anything can happen. So what we suggest is you designate a water watcher where that person is watching the water for say 15 minutes at a time, nothing else. They're not on their phones, they're not taking pictures of how cute the kids look in the pool. They're just watching the children to make sure that nothing happens. And then after that 15 minutes, they then pass the torch on to the next adult that's at that get together and then they are out there watching those children in the water.
Host: Well that is such important information and really great advice on how to go through that. We could spend a long time because this is such an important topic. Before we wrap up, I'd like to ask you one more question, which is about falls. Kids fall all the time. How can we protect our kids from head trauma and serious falls? Are we still using baby walkers where they could kind of cruise around on their own table edges, stairs? That's what used to scare me the most as a new parent.
Michelle Sterling: Active supervision is going to be key. If you live in a home that has stairs, make sure you have a baby gate at the top and at the bottom because you might have them down there playing and not have one at the top and run upstairs with them. And it's very easy for them to get off on their own and on an adventure. So we want to make sure that we have baby gates at the top and at the bottom and when they are playing around, you want to make sure that all your outlets are covered. And also you want to make sure that furniture has either straps or brackets attached to them and to the wall because it's very easy for TVs, especially to tip over, dresser drawers, things like that that could fall over. We would hate for any of that to, to happen. So you want to make sure that you have, I would just suggest go room by room and if you feel like it's going to fall over, they might not weigh much, but they're going to pull on things when they go to try to stand up. So you just want to make sure that everything is secure so that it's not going to fall over and tip on them.
Host: Great advice. Do you have any final thoughts for parents? New parents, especially as kids are babies and then they become toddlers and then they become little kids. What do you want us to know about keeping our kids safe?
Michelle Sterling: One thing, when it comes to the infants, I want to make sure that we are practicing safe sleep. Bringing a new baby home, it is exhausting. You've got a lot going on and trying to adjust to the new life that you have with this infant. Just remember that the ABCs, real simple way to remember it alone, back, and in a crib. We want to prevent sleep-related infant deaths. So it's important for them to create a safe sleep environment for your baby. So we want to make sure that nothing else is in the crib. You want to choose a firm mattress and just a fitted sheet for the crib. We keep your cribs clear of any toys, blankets, pillows, bumper pads, any of those items. You just want the fitted crib sheets and then your infants in the crib and it's good to, you can share your room with your new baby, but not your bed. We want to make sure that the babies are in their beds, by themselves, at all time, into their own before you go to sleep. So just making sure that we're keeping those kids safe and alone on their back and in their cribs.
Host: Great advice, Michelle, what an excellent guest you are. Thank you so much for joining us and really sharing your incredible expertise in this area. Thank you again. To learn more about the Children's Wellness and Safety Center. Please visit our website at baycare.org for more information and healthy safe tips for your kids. That concludes this episode of BayCare Health Chat. Please remember to subscribe, rate, and review this podcast and all the other BayCare podcasts. I'm Melanie Cole.
Keeping Babies and Kids Safe at Home
Introduction: Here's another edition of the BayCare Health Systems podcast series, BayCare Health Chat with Melanie Cole.
Melanie Cole: For parents of children at any age, keeping them safe is our number one priority. This is BayCare Health Chat, I'm Melanie Cole, and today we're discussing keeping babies and kids safe at home. Joining me is Michelle Sterling. She's a senior wellness and safety specialist with the St. Joseph's Children's Wellness and Safety Center. Michelle, I'm so glad to have you with us. If you had to pick the most important thing, the first most important thing you'd like parents to know about at home safety for our little kiddos and childproofing our homes, what would it be?
Michelle Sterling: I would have to say that one of the most important things that I would pick out would be to childproof your home. We don't think of that as adults. We're used to things being located where they're at. We might've lost that coin months ago, but as an infant they're going to find that the first time they begin to start crawling. So we want to get down to their level and make sure that we can see anything that they might be getting their hands on. Because as infants they explore their world through their mouth. So it's almost immediately as soon as they find something it's going directly into their mouth.
Host: Well that is certainly true as a mother, I can attest to that. So then let's kind of start with choking. It's our hugest concern, one of our hugest concerns. What should we know about the choking hazard? You just mentioned crawling around on the ground, making sure the coin or battery or anything we've dropped they can't get their hands on and choke on, but food as well. And we have to feed them many times a day. Little ones like you know, two, three years old. What should we know about choking hazards and food?
Michelle Sterling: So when it first comes to choking hazards, a great idea and rule of thumb would be to take a paper towel holder and anything that can fit inside that paper towel holder, could essentially fit into a child or infant's mouth. So you want to be real careful with things like small toys that maybe an older child in the home might have to play with, little game pieces, tokens, things like that that we wouldn't think would be a hazard. But as an infant, they're going to put that in their mouth once they find it. You want to make sure when it comes to any types of food items, say a grape. We're used to taking a grape and allowing our older children to put that into their mouth. Now when it comes to infants and toddlers, we want to cut those grapes up, not only in half, but into quarters. Same goes for hot dogs. We think that we're going to give a child a hot dog and cut it into slices and it'll be good. Well, it ends up being the same size as a coin, and it could get stuck as they go to swallow it.
So you want to not only just cut it into those slices, but go ahead and cut it down into quarters. Anything that you think could potentially get stuck in their, when they go to swallow, you're going to want to cut up to even smaller pieces. And we want to also be careful with hard candies making sure that if you have that around the house or older children, that they're not giving those to those smaller children, they could choke on those. Another thing we'd be real careful about is whenever we have parties and celebrations we always want to decorate with balloons. We want to make sure that we're not using latex balloons. Those children, infants seem to like the sound they make when they rub latex balloons on their teeth. And then so when those balloons go to pop, it's an instant reaction for any of us when we get shocked or surprised to gasp and suddenly take in air.
So those pieces of balloons can then get sucked into their throats and get stuck. So those take a special tool in order for a hospital doctors to be able to pull those out. So if you think of Mylar balloons, instead they're shiny, they last longer and then they don't do that whenever they are broken, they're harder to break as well, so we don't recommend any balloons at all. But if you are going to have a celebration, try using the Mylar balloons instead. Also those cute burettes that we want to put into our baby's hair beads, any stuffed animals that might have eyeballs attached to them, things like that. We want to be real careful because as they get bored, they're going to start pulling things off, pulling barrettes out of their hair, and then what I said earlier about taking everything to their mouth, it's going to instantly go to their mouth.
Host: I have never heard that about balloons before in all of my years. Michelle, what an interesting and so important vital piece of information you just gave parents. Thank you for that. Now as long as we're along those lines, poison and we're in the kitchen, what should we know about things that we may not think are poisoned but can really be toxic to children? Even our pets in the bathroom, in the kitchen, things that we may not realize,
Michelle Sterling: Right. So we want to make sure that we're storing all of our household products and cleaning solutions out of their sites and reach because you and I, we might have those cabinets under the sink where we keep our cleaning supplies. But if you think about that, that is right at eye level for infants that are starting to crawl and we probably all of us out there have had children that as soon as they start crawling they want to open those cabinets and explore. So we want to make sure that we're keeping all of those products up high and out of their reach, out of their eye level when it comes to bathrooms, kitchens, laundry rooms, any place where you store your products, keep them up high. And we want to keep them in their original containers. We don't want to put any potentially poisonous product in something other than its original container.
For instance, if you want to reuse a plastic, say soda bottle, we don't want to pour anything out of its original bottle into, or if you make your own homemade, make sure that it is clearly labeled what's inside of it. Because as a child, they have no idea of what you might have put into that. Also cleaning products, they look like candy. So we want to make sure that we're keeping them put up and out of their reach. Same goes for medications that we may be taking or vitamins even can be potentially hazardous for infants if they take too many of them if they were to get their hands on them. So keep those out of their reach as well. And those are things that we don't think of, especially maybe daily medications. We might want to keep them in a spot where we can just grab them, make sure you're keeping those put away.
Host: So this is really great information and I'd like to give the poison control number, which is one 800-222-1222 which is available anytime. If you have a fear that your child has ingested a toxic substance. Now Michelle drowning is one of the leading causes of injury related deaths among children one to four. In Florida, lots of people have a pool. Tell us about drowning and what you want us to know about the importance of always having somebody watching, having safety zones, protections in place.
Michelle Sterling: Yes, drowning is one of the leading causes. And in Florida we have water all around us. So not only the pools, but we have the lakes, we have the rivers, we have the oceans. So pretty much water is in every neighborhood. If you don't have a pool in your own backyard. We want to first make sure that there's active supervision when it comes to children being in and around water. We want to make sure that we are giving them our undivided attention. Put all of the devices down. I know it's hard, we like to multitask, but when it comes to water, we want to make sure that we are avoiding all distractions of any kind. Small children can drown in as little as one inch of water. So that goes for like buckets you might have outside maybe or your planters where you have plants in them and it's rained. It does rain here a lot. So we want to make sure that we're keeping those clear of any standing water because as infants begin to walk, they toddle, they're very top heavy, they go very interested in fascinated with water.
So they go to play with it and they, they fall over into a bucket or maybe a little plastic pool and they can't get themselves out. So that's how we've had some drownings occur whenever there's only one into water and people think, Oh, that wouldn't happen. Well it does. So we want to make sure that they're keeping those emptied, flipped upside down after a bath time. Make sure that you're emptying out that water as well. Let's say you're having a bunch of people together and we don't want to assume at a get together that somebody is watching the children in the pool or that all of the children that might be in the pool are good swimmers because anything can happen. So what we suggest is you designate a water watcher where that person is watching the water for say 15 minutes at a time, nothing else. They're not on their phones, they're not taking pictures of how cute the kids look in the pool. They're just watching the children to make sure that nothing happens. And then after that 15 minutes, they then pass the torch on to the next adult that's at that get together and then they are out there watching those children in the water.
Host: Well that is such important information and really great advice on how to go through that. We could spend a long time because this is such an important topic. Before we wrap up, I'd like to ask you one more question, which is about falls. Kids fall all the time. How can we protect our kids from head trauma and serious falls? Are we still using baby walkers where they could kind of cruise around on their own table edges, stairs? That's what used to scare me the most as a new parent.
Michelle Sterling: Active supervision is going to be key. If you live in a home that has stairs, make sure you have a baby gate at the top and at the bottom because you might have them down there playing and not have one at the top and run upstairs with them. And it's very easy for them to get off on their own and on an adventure. So we want to make sure that we have baby gates at the top and at the bottom and when they are playing around, you want to make sure that all your outlets are covered. And also you want to make sure that furniture has either straps or brackets attached to them and to the wall because it's very easy for TVs, especially to tip over, dresser drawers, things like that that could fall over. We would hate for any of that to, to happen. So you want to make sure that you have, I would just suggest go room by room and if you feel like it's going to fall over, they might not weigh much, but they're going to pull on things when they go to try to stand up. So you just want to make sure that everything is secure so that it's not going to fall over and tip on them.
Host: Great advice. Do you have any final thoughts for parents? New parents, especially as kids are babies and then they become toddlers and then they become little kids. What do you want us to know about keeping our kids safe?
Michelle Sterling: One thing, when it comes to the infants, I want to make sure that we are practicing safe sleep. Bringing a new baby home, it is exhausting. You've got a lot going on and trying to adjust to the new life that you have with this infant. Just remember that the ABCs, real simple way to remember it alone, back, and in a crib. We want to prevent sleep-related infant deaths. So it's important for them to create a safe sleep environment for your baby. So we want to make sure that nothing else is in the crib. You want to choose a firm mattress and just a fitted sheet for the crib. We keep your cribs clear of any toys, blankets, pillows, bumper pads, any of those items. You just want the fitted crib sheets and then your infants in the crib and it's good to, you can share your room with your new baby, but not your bed. We want to make sure that the babies are in their beds, by themselves, at all time, into their own before you go to sleep. So just making sure that we're keeping those kids safe and alone on their back and in their cribs.
Host: Great advice, Michelle, what an excellent guest you are. Thank you so much for joining us and really sharing your incredible expertise in this area. Thank you again. To learn more about the Children's Wellness and Safety Center. Please visit our website at baycare.org for more information and healthy safe tips for your kids. That concludes this episode of BayCare Health Chat. Please remember to subscribe, rate, and review this podcast and all the other BayCare podcasts. I'm Melanie Cole.