As I take a moment to reflect on my goals for the new year, I can't help but think about the holiday events I hosted or attended. As parents, it often feels like everything centers around kid-friendly activities these days, so situations naturally come up that bring out my pediatrician side. Conversations about safety risks popped up, and I couldn’t help but think about how important it is to keep kids safe, especially when it could mean the difference between a close call and a serious injury. While there is information available about these risks, I was surprised to find that many parents weren’t aware of them—not because they weren’t paying attention, but simply because they hadn’t been informed or hadn’t thought about them before. Since I see the aftermath of these risks more often, they feel more immediate to me. Either way, I felt it was important to share these tips so we can all be more mindful and do everything we can to protect our little ones. Here are a few safety rules we follow in our home that I think most parents would find helpful and may want to consider for their own families.
Choking is a leading cause of injury in young children, and round objects that are the size of a child’s airway—like grapes, cherry tomatoes, and small marble-like toys—pose a particular danger. These objects can easily get stuck in a child’s airway, leading to suffocation. Even if your child is usually good at chewing, distractions can happen—whether it’s a toy, a TV show, or just excitement—and that’s often all it takes for an object to slip down before their reflexes have a chance to kick in.
This is something I take very seriously. While you can perform the Heimlich maneuver or CPR to help dislodge an object, round objects that are the exact size of the airway are especially hard to remove, both at home and in a medical setting. Time is of the essence in these situations, and the longer an object stays lodged, the greater the risk of hypoxia (lack of oxygen), which can lead to brain damage or even death.
It might seem like a lot to avoid these objects—especially grapes, even if they’re cut up or carefully prepared—but the reality is, I can’t always control who comes into my home, and not everyone may be aware of the risks or know how to perform life-saving techniques in an emergency. The delay in removing a choking object can have serious, lasting consequences. Plus, grapes don’t offer any more nutritional value than other fruits, and the stress I’d feel if something went wrong far outweighs the benefit. For my peace of mind, I choose to simply avoid having small, round objects like these in the house altogether.
Button batteries, commonly found in small electronics, toys, household items, and even light-up princess shoes like we recently had for the holidays, can be extremely dangerous if swallowed. If a child swallows one, it can cause chemical burns and electrical damage, leading to serious internal injuries. What makes button batteries especially concerning is how quickly the situation can escalate. Within just two hours, they can cause a burn, potentially leading to irreversible damage to the esophagus and surrounding tissues. This can often require complex surgeries and ongoing follow-up care. Sometimes, complications like strictures or infections can arise, making the medical management even more challenging.
Because of these risks, I always make sure to check that any items I buy don’t contain button batteries. If it’s something I truly need, like a household item where there’s no alternative, I make sure to store it outside of our main living areas, like in the mudroom closet or storage shed which are locked. I also make it a point to carefully check all toys, especially gifts, to remove any button batteries before they’re accessible to my kids. It’s just a small precaution that helps me feel more at ease.
When children walk or run with long, hard, stick-like objects in their mouths, like metal straws or certain toys, the risk of serious injury increases. If they fall and that object punctures the soft palate, it can cause severe bleeding and even damage major blood vessels like the carotid artery. This situation can be life-threatening, requiring immediate medical attention to control the bleeding and repair the damage. The challenge with these types of injuries is that they can be hard to assess right away. The bleeding may be difficult to control, and if the carotid artery is severed, it poses a very serious risk. Surgical intervention may be necessary to repair the damage, and long-term care might involve monitoring for infections or other complications. As a parent, I’m always mindful of this danger, knowing how quickly something that seems harmless can turn into a medical emergency.
Magnets are common in toys, fridge magnets, and household items, but they can be surprisingly dangerous if swallowed. One of the tricky things about magnets is that they don’t always cause immediate symptoms. A child might not feel pain right away and could not show signs of distress for hours, or even days. This delay in symptoms makes it difficult to know that the child has swallowed magnets until serious issues arise. Once the magnets begin to attract each other inside the digestive tract, they can pull together through the intestinal walls, causing painful perforations, blockages, or cuts. This can lead to serious, life-threatening injuries that require emergency surgery. If left untreated, these injuries can result in infections or other complications that could be very serious.
Water beads are small, colorful balls that expand when exposed to water, and they’re often used in sensory play for young children. While they’re safe in the container, if swallowed, water beads can expand inside the digestive tract, causing severe blockages and other complications. After being swallowed, they can lead to pain, vomiting, and potentially even a bowel obstruction. What makes water bead ingestion so tricky to manage is the delayed expansion. Symptoms may not appear right away, making it difficult to diagnose that a water bead has been swallowed. In some cases, surgery may be needed to remove the beads, and the recovery process can be long and complicated because of the risk of bowel injury. Because of this, we don't partake in any water bead activities.
I don’t want to alarm anyone, but I do think it’s important to share this information because knowledge is power. Keeping an eye on our kids is always a top priority, but let’s be honest—we’re naturally more relaxed at home because we find it to be our safe space. That’s why I’m extra strict in the home, taking extra precautions to prevent situations like the ones mentioned above, which can be so unpredictable. Unlike more common issues like cuts or scrapes, these types of accidents often require specialized medical care, and the long-term effects may not show up right away. Treatment could involve multiple surgeries, ongoing monitoring, or even permanent health complications. For me, prevention is everything when it comes to avoiding these tough-to-treat situations, and I hope you can take something helpful from this post to keep your little ones as safe as possible. Here’s to a year of health, happiness, and safety for you and your family!
