Tips to host a safe holiday gathering
As your home fills with guests this holiday season it’s crucial to remember a busy environment can present some hidden risks.
Our injury prevention community outreach team offers these helpful tips to help your family have safe and fun holiday gatherings this season.
The temptation to hug, pull, or poke a friendly-looking dog or cat can be irresistible for small children. Give furry friends a designated calm space with food and water away from curious kids. This may be a quiet bedroom, kennel, or exercise pen in a low traffic area of the house. You may also take a moment to talk to older children (and their parents) about how to behave around your pet.
Homes decorated for the holidays may have more lights - and electrical cords - than usual. Many cords and outlets create a risk particularly for crawling infants and curious toddlers. For youth, almost 90% of injuries related to electrical receptacles occur in children under 6 years old. Consider using cord shorteners to keep loose cords off the floor. Use outlet covers or caps at floor level - especially in open areas where family and friends are gathering.
Candles are a popular choice for a cozy holiday feel. If your home will be filled with small, curious children, consider using high quality, flameless LED candles for the event. If you choose to use real candles, keep them out of reach of children and never leave them unattended. If you plan to use a fireplace, ensure a secure child-proof gate or screen is always in place, even if the fire has dwindled to embers. Never leave any kind of fire unattended.
Visiting toddlers and preschoolers are always on the move and a new home environment may look like a jungle gym. Furniture tip-over incidents result in thousands of injuries and several deaths each year. Before hosting, check to see if you need anti-tip straps or wall anchors to keep furniture in place. For large, flat-screen TVs, consider securing them to the wall via a sturdy wall mount to keep them high and completely out of reach.
Button batteries are the small, coin shaped batteries found in remotes, toys, musical greeting cards, and holiday décor (especially those with small LED lights). If swallowed, the residual electricity in the battery reacts with saliva to create a chemical reaction, and it is important to seek emergency care immediately. Check new toys or holiday décor for button batteries and make sure battery compartments are secured with a screw. Batteries should be stored out of reach, and battery packages should be put away immediately after installing.
When guests arrive, their coats and bags often get tossed onto a bed or chair. A guest's purse or backpack may contain prescription medications, over-the-counter pills, loose change, small cosmetics, chewing gum, or even personal defense items - all of which pose hazards to a young child. Designate a secure, child-free zone (like a locked closet, a high shelf, or an adult-only back bedroom) for all guest belongings.
Holiday crafting is a fun tradition, but the materials often present hazards. Small items like bells, beads, pins, glitter glue caps, plastic faux holly berries, and small bows can all present a choking hazard to young children. A special word of caution applies to water-beads, which are often used in crafts. Small items and water beads should not be used in crafts for children under the age of four. When crafting, also make sure that all materials and items are age appropriate. For example, only older children should use glue guns for crafting, as hand-contact burns are more common in younger children ages 6 and under. When older children are working with glue guns, they must be taught to always use a low-temperature glue gun under direct adult supervision, and to never touch the hot nozzle or freshly applied hot glue.