How to keep your little adventurer out of harms way. 

Visiting friends and family

Remember that other people’s homes may not be as ‘toddler-proof’ as yours – keep a careful watch on your child to make sure he doesn’t get into danger.

Garden ponds are dangerous, and every year children lose their lives by drowning in them. It take very little water to drown a child, so never leave your child alone near water.

Swimming pools

There’s lots of fun to be had for you and your toddler at the swimming pool, but there are some safety considerations too:

• Find out about the pool and what safety rules they have.
• Make sure you know how the depth of the pool changes.
• Check how many lifeguards are on duty and where they stand.
• Check to see if the pool has ratios on the number of children to parents.
• Check if there are quiet pool sessions, especially for toddlers.
• Wait at least an hour after your toddler has had a meal before going in the water.
• Never leave your child alone, even if he’s wearing a swimming-aid.
• Make sure your child only enters the water with you.
• Encourage your toddler to watch what the life guards do – that way he’ll get to understand what is dangerous and safe to do.
• If possible, enrol your child in swimming or personal survival classes.

Playing with your toddler in the water helps them to gain confidence, but remember that they lose heat quickly so shouldn’t stay in too long.

The chemicals used in pools make it unlikely that a child will catch any infections through the water. However, for younger children, it’s safest to wait until the full course of immunisation is completed. Also, these chemicals can sometimes affect a child’s delicate skin, so it’s better to wait until a child is around 4-6 months before taking them to the pool.

Further information is available from:

www.nc.uk.net/safeswimming
www.nationalwatersafety.org.uk
www.rospa.co.uk

Playgrounds

Thousands of accidents happen each year in playgrounds, so:

• Check the safety of the playground with your local authority.
• Check the playground yourself and report anything you find wrong.
• Always supervise your child.