COLUMBUS – It’s the most wonderful time of the year, but the holidays are not without their dangers.
The experts at the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital say parents should remain alert during the hustle and bustle to various holiday dangers.
DECORATIONS
Plants like holly, mistletoe, evergreens and poinsettias can be poisonous. Eating holly berries, mistletoe berries or evergreens can make children sick with nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or skin rash, and higher doses can be even more dangerous.
Ornaments, tinsel and other decorations may be choking hazards, and broken ornaments can cause painful cuts.
Lights and candles are fire hazards. If you use electric lights, look for frayed or exposed wires, make sure no wires are pinched by furniture and no cords run under rugs. Do not use the same extension cord for more than three strands of lights and turn off all lights before going to bed.
When lighting candles, remove flammable materials from the area and never leave a burning candle unattended.
The liquid in bubble lights and oil lamps can cause death if ingested by a child. Immediately throw away a bubble light if it is cracked or broken.
TOYS
Tiny “button” batteries used in cameras, calculators and other popular gifts can cause serious health problems. If a child swallows a small battery, the first step is to call the poison control center at 1-800-222-1222.
Swallowing a magnet carries special risks if any other metal, including another magnet, has been swallowed. Keep magnets out of reach of children and if one is swallowed, call your poison control center or your doctor as an X-ray may be necessary.
Instructions for new toys should always be read
Make sure toys are appropriate for a child’s age and abilities. Some toys may pose a choking hazard to children younger than 3 years of age. Small balls or ball-shaped toys pose an even more serious choking hazard, these should pass the more rigorous test of not being able to pass through a toilet paper tube that is 1 ¾ inches in diameter.
Protect young eyes by avoiding toys that shoot objects into the air.
Any child younger than 8 years of age needs close adult supervision if using riding toys that require balance, like foot-powered scooters.
If you are giving a child a riding toy for the holidays, also give the child a helmet.
Hoverboards are this year’s most popular new gift, but they are too new to determine injury statistics. Be sure to purchase the same safety equipment you would if you were buying a skateboard: helmet, padding for the knees and elbows, and wrist guards.
Avoid hobby kits and chemistry sets for children younger than 12 .
Toys with arrows or darts should have blunt tips made from rubber or flexible plastic.
CELEBRATING
Avoid the temptation to wait until the next day to clean up after a holiday party. Just one or two ounces of alcohol left in the bottom of a glass can be fatal to a curious, early-rising toddler, and bits of food left on plates can be choking hazards, or even cause food poisoning or an allergic reaction.
Visits to homes of family and friends can be fun, but others’ homes may not be “childproof.” Keep an eye out for breakable items, medications, uncovered electrical outlets and other potential dangers within your child’s reach