Every parent knows how difficult it is to ensure that their children stay out of harm’s way. But although you may worry that you’re being overprotective, the attention you pay to your child’s well-being can help prevent innumerable injuries and illnesses throughout their lives. For this reason, it is important to ensure that you are adequately prepared for anything your life–and your kids–can throw your way. Use these tips to help keep your family safe!
Child-Proof Early, and Thoroughly
Kids are full of surprises, and you can never predict what they’re going to get into, or when this interest is going to take root. This can be charming at times, but it can also manifest as a desire to put a small object into their mouths or open the oven when you’re making dinner. For this reason, experts typically recommend that parents child-proof their home during pregnancy to ensure that it gets done before you get too busy with your newborn. And when you are childproofing your home, it is important that you consider everything that could be a danger: lock all drawers, fasten movable furniture to the walls, and invest in a baby gate. But even when you’re done, make sure you don’t leave your child unsupervised.
Keep Track of the Nearest Pediatric Urgent Care Facilities
In a perfect world, you would always be able to wait for the next available appointment at your local doctors office. Unfortunately, if your child has a fever, a fracture, or another non-critical medical condition that requires immediate attention, this won’t be possible. For this reason, you should be aware of the medical walk in clinics in your neighborhood that will treat children. These urgent care centers do not require appointments, typically have short wait times, and offer services that are usually 40-50% less expensive than emergency room care.
Keep a First Kit Nearby
For the situations that do not require a visit to pediatric urgent care facilities, or even for pure emergencies, make sure you have a first aid kit nearby. Keep one in your home and one in your car, keeping both well-stocked with bandages, alcohol wipes, antibacterial ointment, gauze, medical gloves, tweezers, scissors, and a contact sheet with the numbers of local emergency services. Parents should also be trained in CPR.
It’s impossible to make the world a completely safe place. However, in order to keep your children safe, there are fortunately some basic steps you can take to greatly reduce your family’s risk and your own worries. Try some of these tips today: begin looking up local urgent care facilities and compiling your first aid kit. More on this topic.
