Normal healthy children are going to move, run and climb not only on play grounds but also at home. In the course of a day at play, children will get hurt, sometimes seriously. A frightening nine million children are treated in ERs around the country a year. Since it is obviously not possible to prevent every childhood accident at home all we can do is make our homes as safe as reasonably possible.
Is It Possible To “CHILDPROOF” Your Home?
Doors, stairs and electrical outlets are the obvious places to start. (For a list of a dozen tips on making your home safe see “Childproofing your home” Philadelphia Inquirer from April 4, 2011, on philly.com.) A less obvious place to look for dangerous conditions that might affect you child is ceramic tableware. A recent study done by Thomas Jefferson University Hospital found that ceramic spoons and plates purchased in Philadelphia’s Chinatown contained many times the allowable limit of lead. The red light here seems to be bright colors as pure white ceramic is unlikely to contain lead.