Hello, I'm Gloria Estefan.
As the mother of two wonderful children myself, I was shocked by some very disturbing news
I heard recently.
Did you know that injuries are the number one killer of children under five in America?
And that last year alone, nearly nine million kids ended up in hospital emergency rooms
with an injury?
As parents, our first job is to protect our little ones.
I love my children more than anything, and one of the best ways I can show that love
is by making sure they're safe and sound.
Today we're going to talk about how you can do that for your own kids.
It begins from the day no parent can ever forget.
The day you bring your new baby home from the hospital.
You need to think about your baby's safety right from the start.
And the first thing you've got to consider is how you're going to bring him home.
Baby's first ride must be a safe ride.
The old saying about nothing being safer than a mother's arms just doesn't apply to the
car.
You've got to use the right car seat.
And that seat has to be properly installed.
There are many brands of car seats.
If it's not a new one, you can check to see if it's approved by calling the number on
the screen.
Call 1-824-9393.
Whatever seat you have, you've got to make sure you're putting it in right.
Your pediatrician has a checklist.
And even before you bring baby home, read the manual that comes with the seat as well
as your car's owner's manual.
Follow the directions for proper installation.
Infant car seats must always be placed facing backwards in the back seat, which is where
all kids should ride.
The recommended age currently for turning a child from rear-facing to forward-facing
is that the child must be 20 pounds and one year of age before you turn them around and
face them forward.
And that really has to do with the ability of the child to handle the impact of a forward-facing
crash in the design of the seat.
Children are projectiles.
Even in a low-speed crash, a child will fly forward and hit the dashboard or even go out
of the car.
What the studies show is that 85 percent of car seats are used incorrectly.
So parents need to be aware of some of the common mistakes that they make when they install
a car seat.
Some of the very basic things such as the straps need to be tight and the seat needs
to be buckled in tightly into the car.
I think the rule of thumb that we recommend is that there be very little movement in the
car seat, either from side to side or from front to back.
It's very, very important to keep children buckled up in child safety seats.
Don't you like your first car ride, huh?
Now we're home.
Yeah.
Once your baby's home, there are a lot of things you've got to think about to keep your
child safe.
Things you might not have ever thought of, like feeding.
Breastfeeding is the best way to go for your baby.
It gives her all the nutrition and protection from diseases she needs, and it's also the
safest.
That's a good girl.
Make sure your newborn's nose doesn't get blocked while he's feeding.
With formula, there are a few more things to consider.
First, always check the expiration date on the formula you're using.
Formula can spoil.
Then, clean the container thoroughly with hot water before opening, and always wash
the can opener after each use.
Heat the bottle by running hot water over it until it's about body temperature.
Test it by shaking a few drops on your inner wrist.
Never heat the formula in the microwave, and don't reuse leftover formula.
It's a breeding ground for germs.
Newborns sleep a lot, up to 20 hours a day, and you have to make sure your baby's sleeping
area is safe.
The bars on the crib should be narrow enough so your child can't ever stick her head through
and get caught.
For the first six months, infants should never have pillows, blankets, or stuffed animals
in the crib.
They can suffocate a child.
Among children under a year, suffocation is the leading cause of accidental death.
Instead of using blankets, dress your baby warmly and put her on a mattress with clean
sheets, and always put her to sleep on her back.
It's been proven that babies who sleep on their backs have less chance of problems like
sudden infant death syndrome.
By the way, when your baby gets older and can stand in the crib, make sure there isn't
anything dangerous right next to it, like lamps or window shade cords.
Later on, if you put your baby in a playpen, follow the same guidelines you do with the
crib.
As a parent, you're going to be changing a lot of diapers, and safety's a must here,
too.
Make sure you never turn your back or leave the baby on a changing surface alone, even
for a minute.
An infant can roll right off and be seriously hurt.
Try to keep a hand on the child at all times, and when she starts to reach, make sure your
baby can't get at the changing supplies.
Believe it or not, infants have died from inhaling baby powder.
Give him a toy to occupy his hands.
Bath time.
It can be a fun time for parents and kids, a wonderful daily ritual.
Make sure you always test the water before putting baby in.
It should be comfortable to the touch, not too hot.
Keep your baby away from the faucet so she can't grab the hot water knob, and be sure
your water heater is turned down to no more than 120 degrees so scalding water will never
come out of the tap.
Whatever the age, never, ever leave your baby alone in the bath.
Children can slip and hurt themselves in a second.
They can even drown in as little as an inch of water.
Hi, sweetie.
Hi.
How you doing?
A few more things to watch out for in the first few months.
Baby's necks are weak for the first couple of months, so make sure they're always supported.
Come on, let's go on ice rope.
Be careful with pets.
Never leave them alone with your new baby.
Good puppy.
And later, even if the child and pet have been okay together, always keep an eye on
things.
Can you sit down?
Good girl.
As your baby grows, so do her abilities to explore her world.
She soon begins to sit up, reach out, and grab what she's after.
And absolutely everything ends up in his mouth.
This is the time when choking first becomes an issue.
Children can choke on two kinds of objects, toys and food.
And when I say toys, I include any object the child can get their hand on.
Toys are made safe by making them so big the child can't get them in their mouth.
You need to evaluate toys very carefully as a parent because the overall toy may be safe,
but parts that come off of it may not be.
Toddlers are at risk for choking for a number of reasons.
One of the most important is that their front teeth, the biting teeth, develop before the
back teeth, the grinding teeth.
So toddlers can bite off a piece of hot dog, but they do not have the back teeth, the molars,
which would grind it to a paste and make it safe for them to swallow.
A hot dog should be cut lengthwise twice and then crosswise into tiny little blocks.
A grape should be cut at least into four pieces, if not eight pieces.
Some foods can never be made safe.
Some candy and nuts cannot be made safe for a two-year-old to eat.
Balloons are extraordinarily dangerous.
They cause about one-third of all choking fatalities.
Balloons cause choking fatalities up to about the age of eight.
If you do see your baby choking, you've got to act fast.
Here's what to do.
To tell if a baby's choking, you need to, one, look at the skin color.
Baby will turn blue when it's not getting the oxygen.
That's called cyanosis.
Another way is a baby won't make any sound.
You usually grab the baby by the ankles, slide a hand in underneath the baby so you're supporting
the baby's head.
Pick up the baby.
You want to make a V with your thumb and your forefinger.
Grab the baby's jaw.
Make a sandwich out of the baby.
Turn the baby over.
Bring your forearm down to your thigh and it's five back blows between the baby's shoulder
blades.
One, two, three, four, five.
Then you want to support the baby's head.
Again, over onto the other thigh and we draw a straight line between the nipples.
The ring finger goes on that line in the middle of the chest.
Two fingers in line behind the ring finger.
You want to pick up the ring finger and we're going to do five chest thrusts about an inch
deep.
Then you want to support the baby's head again with your thumb and your forefinger.
When you hear the baby start to cry, that's an indication that the baby's earway has been
cleared.
When the earway is cleared on a baby, it's very important that the baby be checked by
a physician.
The universal sign for choking is the hands of the throat, the way Santa has here.
Another way you can tell if a child is choking is a child may not be able to cough.
Child may not be able to speak.
You may get a change in color of the skin.
What we want to do is come around behind the child, kneel down to the same height as the
child, come around, find the child's navel, make a fist with the other hand, comes right
above the belly button, grab the fist and we're going to do a swooping motion.
You come in and then up.
What we're trying to do is force the air in the child's lungs up the airway so we can
force that object out of the airway.
The procedures you just saw can save your child's life, but you need to really learn
and practice them.
Get in touch with your local Red Cross, which offers instruction in how to handle choking
as well as classes in cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR, which you need to know if your baby
is unconscious and not breathing.
As your baby reaches eight months or so, she begins to stand and before you know it, start
walking and the more mobile she is, the more trouble she can get into.
It's a good time to start baby proofing the house and the best way to do this is to get
down on your hands and knees for a baby's eye view of what he can get into.
Let's take a tour.
Electric outlets are a hazard.
Children love to stick their wet fingers in the little holes.
Safety plugs are a must for every outlet, especially the ones along the baseboard.
Electric cords are dangerous too, including extension cords.
A child can pull a lamp down on his head or bite through a cord to live electricity.
Wrap cords around table legs, hide them or tape them down.
Venetian blind cords are also dangerous.
Kids can so easily get caught up in them and strangle themselves.
Many do each year.
Be sure to wrap the cords and put them up out of reach or use the new cordless blinds.
It's a lot safer.
It's the time to use safety gates at the top and bottom of the stairs and use the kind
your baby can't pinch his fingers on or stick his head through.
It's also time to look out for sharp edges like on coffee tables.
Kids fall on them all the time.
The cuts can be nasty.
If you can, remove the tables or buy table pads to soften the blows.
As your child is learning to walk, it's tempting to get them a walker, but please don't.
They've been proven to be very dangerous.
Kids can tip them over and break an arm or hurt their head.
Other things to watch out for at this age, hot radiators or floor grills, which can burn
little hands.
Make sure they're covered.
And house plants they can get into and eat.
Some plants are poisonous, so keep them off the floor.
Find out the number for your poison control center and put it next to your phones.
As your baby gets even more mobile and begins to be able to climb, make another tour of
the house.
Look at the windows.
Make sure they're closed so she can't fall out.
Don't put chairs or couches he can climb on next to the windows.
Especially if you're living in a high rise, window guards are a good idea.
They may even be required by law in your city.
Window guards should be put on all windows above the first floor.
And by the way, chewing the paint on window sills is still one of the main ways kids come
down with lead poisoning.
Make sure your house or apartment has been tested and any lead paint removed.
Also, make sure you have working smoke detectors in the house.
Put them near the room you sleep in.
Instructions on how many you need and where else to put them can be found on the packaging.
Go to your hardware or drug store to find them.
You should also pay attention to safety hazards in the bathroom.
Kids are fascinated by the toilet.
Make sure you keep the lid down and locked if possible.
It's so easy for them to fall in and drown.
Buckets of cleaning water are often overlooked, but kids can fall, get their heads stuck and
drown.
Store buckets empty and upside down.
And don't forget to be aware of your pet's water bowl, which can also be a hazard to
your child.
And keep the bathtub drained.
Even the smallest amount of water is a drowning hazard.
If you can, install a soft spout cover for the bathtub to avoid bumps, bruises and burns.
Keep electrical cords and appliances, like hairdryers, unplugged and put away.
The typical bathroom cabinet is one of the most tempting places for children.
They can climb from the toilet or a stool onto the sink and into real trouble.
Razors, cosmetics, medicines, all are dangerous.
Flush all old medicines down the toilet.
Kids love to explore wastebaskets and some pills look like candy to them.
And just because something has a childproof cap, don't think that kids can't open it.
Keep the bathroom door shut and keep what's dangerous really out of reach and out of sight
on a high shelf in the closet, for example.
If your child does eat something poisonous, here's what to do.
Keep the poison control number by each phone and call immediately.
Look into your child's mouth and remove what you can.
And have a bottle of Ipecac on hand, but never use it unless told to by poison control.
We don't mean all of this to scare you, but we do want to prepare you.
Because only by planning ahead and knowing what to do when emergencies come, can you
keep your child safe and sound.
For the first couple of years, you really have to make sure that your child's safe at
every moment.
It's hard to do, believe me, I know.
Here's one tip, however, make one room in your house or an area of your apartment completely
childproof.
That way, if you do have to answer the door, for example, you can put your child there
and know she's safe.
For infants, the crib or playpen is the safest.
And there's one room we haven't talked about yet.
It's my favorite room in the house, the kitchen.
I remember when I was growing up how we'd all gather in the kitchen to smell the wonderful
things my mother had on the stove and feel safe and secure.
Still did I know then, what do your doctors now tell me?
That the kitchen can be one of the most dangerous rooms in the house, especially as your children
grow into the toddler years.
Dinner hour is the time most accidents happen.
And no wonder, look at all the dangers there are.
Knives, kids can cut themselves on if they're left at the counter's edge.
Pots of boiling liquid and frying pans.
All of these are so tempting to a toddler and have to be put out of reach.
So always keep the handles pointed toward the back of the stove.
Electric appliances should be unplugged or stored.
Cleaning supplies should be stored in cabinets with childproof latches.
In fact, all kitchen and other cabinets should have latches.
They even make simple ones for refrigerators.
Toaster.
One minute, sweetie.
Don't let little ones play on the floor when you're cooking.
You could spill something hot on them.
Put your child in a high chair or playpen instead and talk to her while you're cooking.
If something does happen, be prepared.
By having all emergency numbers right by the phone for poison control, your doctor, and
of course there's 911.
And know what you can do yourself.
For example, for a minor burn, apply a wet washcloth or run cold water on it.
Don't ever use butter or ice on a burn.
Cool water is best.
Keep your first aid supplies in one place in the house.
That way when there's an emergency, you'll always know exactly where to go.
For small cuts, wash with water, apply an antiseptic cream, and put on a band-aid.
And add a kiss.
That's better.
Safety outside the home.
As a parent, that's your responsibility too.
And as kids get older, they're doing a lot more risky things.
Most accidents in playgrounds and backyards involve falls.
Kids under five should always use swing seats.
All equipment should be free from anything that can cut or catch your child, like hooks
and nails.
And most important, the play surface should be soft, like wood chips, sand, or rubber.
If you use a child care center or family care, make sure the place is safe as well, and that
someone's trained for emergencies.
Falls need to be especially safe.
Drownings happen so fast.
Most drownings happen only a few minutes after the child was last in sight.
Whether a public or private pool, it has to have a fence.
Gates should be self-closing and latch automatically.
And children must never swim alone.
A parent or lifeguard has to be there all the time.
And if possible, the pool should have a cover, which must be completely removed before swimming.
Finally, I need to talk to you about kids and guns.
Everyone has an opinion about guns, but however you feel, if you have a gun in your house,
you've got to make it safe.
Trigger locks are a must, and the guns should be stored separately from ammunition and locked
away.
No matter how much you've talked to your kids about the dangers of guns, it's foolish to
trust that they won't play with them, and the results can be tragic.
And it's not just your own home you have to worry about.
What about when your kids go to a friend's house or to family child care?
You need to know whether or not there are guns there as well.
You've got to ask and train your children to tell you about any guns they see.
If there are guns, they have to have trigger locks and be stored safely where your kids
can't get to them.
If it's not safe, don't let your child go there.
It's your responsibility.
We all know that as children grow, there will be a few bumps and bruises along the way.
But at least we can all sleep at night if we know we've done everything possible to
prevent injuries.
So think about potential hazards and make a safe environment for your child.
Because as I said before, safety's first.
For my kids, and I hope for yours.
It's all about the kids.