The holidays are a great time for family bonding and fun, but we also have to remember that potential dangers never take a break. They will be around us during all the fun and activities, so it is our responsibility to make sure everyone stays safe.
One thing in particular that many parents are concerned with is the safety of their children. It is so easy for a young child to himself with a toy or item. Christmas ornaments are colorful and intriguing, but they also usually have sharp points or toxic dusts on them. Regardless, children will want to inspect the new Thanksgiving and Christmas items in a house. It is also a good idea to keep ornaments on a Christmas tree out of reach for small children that can grab them and hurt themselves if the ornaments break. Small children should also be watched when around the tree to prevent them from poking their eyes with a branch or the sharp corner of a present. Here are some tips you can use to keep your child's eyes safe.
Instruct them on new toys
Whenever you purchase a new toy for a child, you should always teach them how to play with it. They need to know what is acceptable and not acceptable. For example, BB guns are a great gift for older kids, but they also pose a threat to their safety. Teach your kids never to point a toy gun at anybody. Even if you don't think the toy gun has enough power to make a BB penetrate the skin, it will still have enough power to penetrate the eye's soft membranes. The same can go for Nerf type toy guns.
Teach kids to throw away broken toys
Broken toys can be harmful to children. Shards of plastic can hurt a young child and can cause serious damage to a child’s eye. Anytime a toy breaks, it should be thrown away to prevent any harm from occurring.
Only purchase appropriate toys
Most toys come with a disclaimer for its age group. You should never purchase toys that fire projectiles for small children. They may shoot their eye with the projectile. One type of toy that comes to mind is the Nerf gun. They are not meant for children under the age of three.
Tips for treating injury
If your child complains of an eye injury, inspect the eye for redness, swelling and tears. If a spray or liquid has damaged the eye, such as canned snow spray, irrigate it with distilled water. Let the water softly flow over the eye. Remember, there could be damage that you may not visibly see. You should allow a doctor to check for further damage.