Ready, set, pause. Before you launch your holiday travel plans, consider how your child’s safety fits into the mix. Thanksgiving is a bountiful blend of food and fun, but your kids need attention too.
“Everybody is doing something, preparing for the holidays, watching football enjoying the company,” says Sally Kreuscher.
Sally Kreuscher is a child advocate with Golisano Children’s Hospital. She finds hectic holidays lend themselves to mistakes; many families are out of their safety zone and accidents happen.
“You go to someone’s house that doesn’t normally have children, your grandparents and so forth, you want to make sure that they put medication that they leave out on the counters, put them up and away, stored out of the reach of the children,” says Kreuscher.
Pools are another pitfall. Families you’re visiting may not have the same safety devices you do at home; or with all the people around, no one is keeping an eye out.
“Everybody assumes somebody is watching the kids and we want to make sure at least one person accepts responsibility for the kids at all times in and around the water,” says Kreuscher.
And don’t forget the holiday feast. Look for choking hazards and make sure no one gets burned in the kitchen. Keep hot pots and pans out of harm’s way.
“Turn them in, so they’re not hanging over, so little kids don’t reach up and hurt themselves,” says Kreuscher.
A few safety tweaks to ensure your holiday is happy and healthy.
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Lee Memorial Health System in Fort Myers, FL is the largest network of medical care facilities in Southwest Florida and is highly respected for its expertise, innovation and quality of care. For nearly a century, we’ve been providing our community with everything from primary care treatment to highly specialized care services and robotic assisted surgeries.
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