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Child safety in the home Child safety in the home <img alt="" src="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/cityassets/PublishingImages/Child%20safety%20in%20the%20home%20Header.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" /><div class="ExternalClass95C90A124E6E485E80124280B2F98F3A"><p>​Young children are naturally curious and will climb onto surfaces and open things – it's how they learn about the world. While we want our children to play and explore, we should make sure our homes are safe for them to do so.</p></div><h2 class="sectHeading">​General safety in the home <br></h2><h4> Here are some general tips for keeping your child safe in your home:</h4><ul><li>Cover plug points with dummy plugs – this stops children jamming their fingers or other objects into them.</li><li>Keep dangerous, poisonous or sharp items well hidden and out of reach of children. This includes knives, tools, <a href="https://www.capetown.gov.za/Family%20and%20home/Residential-utility-services/Residential-solid-waste-services/hazardous-waste"> hazardous cleaning products</a> and medications.<br></li><li>Never leave pots unattended on the stove while cooking.</li><li>If you have a balcony or stairs, install safety gates or barriers; never leave children alone in these areas.</li><li>Keep a first-aid kit in your house and make sure any child-minders know where to find it. When your children are old enough, teach them basic first aid. </li><li>As a parent, it’s important to know where your child is at all times, and who they’re with. While you’re at work, make sure they’re left with responsible caretakers who you know and trust.</li></ul><h2 class="sectHeading">Fire safety</h2><p>Small accidents – such as knocking over paraffin stoves or candles – can start fires that spread very quickly. It’s important that both adults and children know how to prevent such accidents, and what to do if a fire does start in the home.</p> <span> <div class="mobile-scroll">​​ <table> <caption><strong>​Fire safety: do's and don'ts</strong></caption> <thead><tr><th>Do</th><th>Don't</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Replace the lid on paraffin bottles and try get a child safety cap</td><td>Don’t leave paraffin stoves and burning candles unattended</td></tr><tr><td>Teach children not to play with matches or lighters</td><td>Don’t store paraffin near matches, lighters or paraffin appliances</td></tr><tr><td>Store flammable materials and poisons out of reach of children</td><td>Don’t store paraffin in used milk or cool drink bottles as children could drink it by accident</td></tr><tr><td rowspan="1">​Keep emergency numbers on display near the phone</td><td rowspan="1">​Don’t smoke in bed</td></tr></tbody></table></div>​​​</span> <p>For more fire-safety tips, please see <a href="https://www.capetown.gov.za/Family%20and%20home/safety-in-the-home/basic-household-safety/fire-precautions-in-the-home">Fire precautions in the home</a>. </p><h4> Paraffin fires</h4><ul><li>If a child swallows paraffin, don’t give them anything to eat or drink – get them medical treatment as soon as possible.    </li><li>Don’t force them to vomit as this could force the paraffin into their lungs and do serious damage.</li><li>Use water to put out wood, paper or fabric fires and sand to put out a paraffin fire.</li><li>Don’t put water on oil fires as it will explode. </li></ul><p>For more information, please see <a href="https://www.capetown.gov.za/Family%20and%20home/safety-in-the-home/basic-household-safety/paraffin-safety-in-the-home">Paraffin safety in the home</a>. </p><h2 class="sectHeading">Water safety</h2><p>While we don’t all have pools and access to swimming lessons, teaching your child to swim early will help them become confident in the water; this could also save their life if they ever fall into the water. <br> <br>A child can drown in 30 seconds. Once their head goes under water, it can only take a few minutes for their heart to stop and brain damage or death to occur. Children don’t only drown in swimming pools. A toddler can drown in 2,5 cm of water, and children can drown in buckets, baths, ponds and even in drains.​​</p> <span> <div class="notification with-heading white-copy blue bg-navy"><div class="graphic no-border"> <i class="info caring">​​</i></div><div class="desc"><h4>Did you know?</h4><p>Drowning is the second biggest cause of accidental death among young children.​</p></div></div></span> <p> Accidents happen easily and fast. Your actions can help to prevent your child from drowning. Keep your children safe by doing the following:<br></p><h4>Safety with water in and around the home</h4><ul><li>Always supervise bath/washing time – never leave small children alone (ignore the telephone and focus on the child).​</li><li>Do not leave small children in the bath in the care of another child.</li><li>Empty baths, buckets or tubs after use – you can use the water to flush your toilet.</li><li>Fit lids firmly on buckets and tubs outside if you’re saving the water to re-use.​</li><li>Keep toilets closed at all times and keep doors to bathrooms closed.</li></ul><h4> Safety in and around the​ pool</h4><ul><li>Cover your pool securely with a plastic pool cover – this will help prevent your child from drowning and prevent evaporation during the drought​<br></li><li> <span style="font-weight:700;">Don’t drink </span>when you are supervising children in the pool – alcohol affects your judgment and your own physical ability.​</li><li>Do not rely on inflatable tubes or wings to prevent them from drowning.</li><li>Enforce safety rules – no running near the pool and no pushing others under water.</li><li>Even if your children can swim, you may have young people playing on your property who cannot – never leave other people’s children unattended at your pool.​</li><li>Put a fence around your swimming pool or water feature that is at least 1, 2 m tall. Install self-closing and self-latching gates with latches beyond a child’s reach.</li><li>​If you are spending a day by the pool, make sure you have sunscreen to protect your child or children from the harsh South African sun.</li></ul><div class="notification with-heading dark-copy pink bg-light-grey"><div class="graphic with-border"> <i class="info toptip">​​</i></div><div class="desc"><h4>Top tip</h4><p>If you are swimming together in the pool, it’s best to have young children in your care within arm’s reach.</p></div></div><h2 class="sectHeading">​Emergencies</h2><p> If you suspect an older child is drowning, don’t jump in yourself. If possible, throw the child an object that floats, to help them float. Offer them a long object they can hold onto and pull them to safety. If you see a younger child drowning, jump in but also take something the child can hold onto. Discourage younger children from jumping in to help others. <br></p><h4>If a child has drowned take the child out of the water and immediately start doing the following:</h4><ul><li>Check if the child is awake or not and check for breathing. </li><li>Call, or instruct someone, to contact the emergency helpline as early as possible. </li><li>If the child is not breathing, pinch their nostrils between your thumb and index finger and administer two slow rescue breaths into their mouth, ensuring that their chest JUST starts to rise. </li><li>If the child shows no response to the rescue breaths, start Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR). If there are two people to do CPR, the one person must give two breaths where after the other person applies 15 chest compressions. If there is only one person, he/she must give four breaths and apply 30 chest compressions. </li><li>​Keep on doing CPR until someone who is trained in advanced life support arrives and can take over.</li></ul><p>If an emergency such as a fire ​or a drowning happens at home, even when you are not there, your child needs to know how to contact both you and emergency services.<br></p><h4>Make sure your child knows the following information:​<br></h4><ul><li>Your phone number and the emergency <strong> <em>107</em></strong> number. Create a list of emergency contact numbers and keep a copy next to all phones in the house. See our <a href="https://www.capetown.gov.za/City-Connect/Report/Report-an-emergency/Emergency-contact-numbers">list of emergency contact numbers</a>. </li><li>Write down your address in case they need to give it to the 107 operator. If you live in a complex or flat, make sure your child knows the flat number and floor you live on.</li><li>Make sure your house number is clearly visible from the street so that emergency service providers (ambulance, police, and fire) can locate your address easily.</li><li>If your child has a cellphone, make sure to save emergency numbers on their phone. Label the contacts clearly (e.g. ‘emergency number ‘or ‘fire emergency number’).​</li></ul> <span> <h2 class="sectHeading">​​​​​​​​​​Contact</h2></span> <p>In an emergency, contact <em><a>021 480 7700</a></em> from a cellphone and <em><a>107</a></em> or <a><em>10177 </em></a>from a landline<em>.</em><br></p>GP0|#85b3bc71-3257-4b77-9b1a-b12cbffb00af;L0|#085b3bc71-3257-4b77-9b1a-b12cbffb00af|Child safety in the home;GTSet|#ef3a64a2-d764-44bc-9d69-3a63d3fadea1;GPP|#4fd38f14-3493-49a2-ac32-47bb5287df33;GPP|#df0a3405-0ca1-4617-8047-15a034219fee;GPP|#245ec7aa-a528-4cd3-bcac-597c292db711Tips for making your home and outdoor area child-friendly.0

 

 

 

 

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