Burn Prevention

Every parent lives in fear of burn injury to their child. Here is a good, fairly comprehensive list of safety measures. How many do you practice?

1. Do not let cooking appliance electric cords hang off of counter.
2. Do not leave hot beverages or foods unattended or near the edge of table.
3. Keep hot beverages away from children and do not have a child sit in your lap if you are drinking a hot beverage.
4. Teach older children how to safely remove hot food from microwave and stove top.
5. Minimize use of stove front burners.
6. When carrying hot food in kitchen make sure young children are not in your path.
7. Test bath and shower water temp with your hand for 30 seconds before using.
8. Never leave young children unattended in bath or shower.
9. Adjust water heater to no higher than 120 degrees.
10. Avoid leaving unattended pots on stove.
11. Keep children away form fireplace and wood stove doors.
12. Install smoke detectors on all floors of your home and test monthly. Ideally, they should be hard wired with battery back up.
13. Replace smoke detector batteries at least annually. Keep a schedule.
14. Practice home fire drills and make sure children know how to exit the house in the event of a fire and where to meet outdoors.
15. Keep fire extinguishers in kitchen, furnace room, and by fireplace.
16. Teach children to exit the house low to floor if their is smoke in the room.
17. Obtain a safety ladder if your home has a second floor.
18. Teach children to not use elevators to escape a fire.
19. Teach children to “stop, drop, and roll” if clothing catches fire.
20. Avoid smoking indoors.
21. Minimize storage of flammable liquids, keep them away from child play areas or from potential ignition sources.
22. Minimize extension cord use.
23. Keep matches and lighters out of the reach of children.
24. Avoid use of fireworks.

Thanks to Robert L Sheridan MD from Shiners Children’s Hospital of Boston Massachusetts who’s article ” Burn Care in Children” is the source of the above list.