How to Protect your Child from Scalds and Burns
The two most common causes of serious burns to children are scalds from hot liquids and house fires.
Follow these four simple steps to protect your child from scalds and burns.
- Lower your water temperature. Hot tap water could burn your child.
- Keep hot drinks away from your child. Put a lid on hot drinks.
- Make sure your child is safe in the kitchen.
- Check your smoke alarms regularly.
1. Lower your hot tap water temperature. Hot tap water could burn your child.
Hot tap water could give your child a severe burn. Many Canadian homes have hot water that is 60 degrees Celsius (140 degrees Fahrenheit). Water this hot could burn your child’s skin in just one second!
The water from your hot water tap should be a maximum of 49 degrees Celsius (120 degrees Fahrenheit). When water is this temperature, it would take 10 minutes to burn your child’s skin.
You can prevent tap water scalds.
· Check the temperature of your hot tap water.
- If it is hotter than 49 C, reduce the temperature.
· To find out how to check your hot tap water and lower the temperature, click here.
2. Keep hot drinks away from your child.
Put a lid on hot drinks. Keep your hot coffee or tea away from your child. Put a lid on hot drinks, even at home. Use a cup with a tight-fitting lid, like the type of travel cup used for riding in a car. Test hot drinks or food before you serve them to your child to make sure they have cooled off.
3. Make sure your child is safe in the kitchen.
Keep your child safely out of the way when you are cooking or making hot drinks. Put a baby or toddler in a high chair or playpen. Make sure a preschooler stays seated at the kitchen table. Or use a safety gate to keep young children out of the kitchen. Cook on the back burners of the stove whenever you can. Turn pot handles to the back of the stove so that the pots will not get knocked over. Make sure that cords from your kettle and other appliances do not hang over the edge of the counter. If your child pulls on a hanging cord, he or she could pull a kettle of hot water down on himself or herself. If you have hot serving dishes on the table, keep them where your child cannot reach them.
4. Check your smoke alarms regularly.
A smoke alarm can save your life. Most house fire deaths happen in homes without a working smoke alarm. Put a smoke alarm on every level of your home. Make sure there is an alarm right outside your bedrooms. Test each smoke alarm every month by pressing the battery test button. Put in fresh batteries once a year. January is a good time to remember. To prevent grease and dust from blocking the “intake ports” (the slots that allow air and smoke to get inside the smoke alarm), gently vacuum the smoke alarm regularly, at least once a month. Install new smoke alarms at least every 10 years. Throw away the old ones. Plan and practice a fire escape route with your family. Plan how you will get out of your house or apartment and where you will meet outside in case of fire.
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| Page published on 2006-09-05 |
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