Winter safety guide: Top tips for keeping children safe this winter
“Ice can be fascinating for children – the eerie sound of stones skipping over the surface and the crack when your foot breaks through the ice on the puddle,”
“But ponds, reservoirs or brooks are no place for playing with ice. It can be tempting to test out the ice around the edges, but it’s easy to fall through into icy water that quickly causes hypothermia.”
Katrina Phillips, Chief Executive of the Child Accident Prevention Trust
As the weather gets colder and winter creeps in, new hazards emerge. So, here are our top tips for keeping children safe from serious accidents this winter.
When flu season hits
It’s the time of year when everyone seems to be ill. But when the bugs hit your house, you’ll want to remember these three things:
Keep medicines out of reach
When you’re feeling under the weather and just trying to make it through the day, you may not give much thought to where you leave your tablets. But everyday painkillers are the most common way for young children to be poisoned.
So, try to get into the habit of putting your tablets back in a high place out of your child’s reach as soon as you’ve taken them.
And watch out for painkillers left on the bedside table or in a handbag on the floor.
More top tips to keep children safe from poisoning.
Avoid steam inhalation
With so many viruses going around, you may be tempted to use steam inhalation to relieve cold and flu symptoms. But specialist burns departments are warning against this.
Doctors are treating life-changing burns, particularly in small children and babies who’ve grabbed at bowls of boiling water. These devastating injuries often need long-term surgery as scarred skin doesn’t stretch or grow.
Remember cough sweets are a choking hazard
Hard sweets like cough drops and throat lozenges are a serious choking hazard. Their slippery texture makes them easy to swallow whole. And they’re the right size and shape to completely block a small child’s airway.
That’s why you should avoid giving hard sweets or lozenges to children under 6.
Learn more about common choking hazards and how to keep children safe
Out and about
Be bright and be seen
Winter brings longer nights and low sun, making it harder for drivers to spot pedestrians. So do your best to be safe and be seen. Wear bright clothing during the day and reflective clothing or accessories after dark.
If your child or their school insists on a darker colour coat, you can add reflective strips to increase visibility.
Take extra care when crossing
When it’s pouring with rain, brollies are up and hoods are on, making it hard to see traffic clearly. So, be extra careful when crossing the road. And remind older children who travel by themselves to be cautious too.
- Cross at places that are well-lit
- Where possible, cross the road at a pedestrian crossing
- Devices can be a major distraction, so encourage your child to put them away and take any headphones out while crossing the road
Allow plenty of time for your journey
Bad weather, longer periods of darkness and more people on the road are just some of the extra hazards in winter. Plus, stopping distances can be 10 times longer when it’s icy. So please allow plenty of time and drive safely.
Avoid big bulky coats in car seats
Big coats, snowsuits and other bulky clothing feel warm and comforting when the cold weather creeps in, but can be dangerous for your child in the car.
In a crash, those bulky layers compress under the force of the impact, creating slack in the harness. This reduces the effectiveness of the harness and increases the risk of serious injury.
When the temperature drops…
Keep antifreeze out of reach
If you’re a car owner, antifreeze is a winter essential. But it’s highly poisonous to children. Accidental poisoning can happen in an instant, even if you’re there but have been distracted momentarily.
So, keep antifreeze well out of children’s reach. And, to put children off swallowing things they shouldn’t, look out for products that contain a bittering agent, such as Bitrex.
Download your free one-page guide to poisoning prevention
Teach children not to go on ice
Frozen lakes, ponds, canals and reservoirs can be beautiful to visit during the winter months. But they can also be treacherous. In the UK, ice is unlikely to freeze to a suitable depth to safely walk on.
Four young boys tragically lost their lives when they ventured onto ice on lake in Solihull.
Please teach children not to risk walking on ice. And regularly remind older children and teens who go out on their own about the risks.
Staying safe and warm
With high energy prices, many of us are looking for ways to stay warm for less. But it’s important to keep safety in mind.
Use electric blankets safely
Electric blankets can be a cost-effective way to stay warm, but they can also be a fire risk. So use them with care.
- Unplug them before getting into bed, unless they have a thermostat control for safe all-night use.
- Never use a hot water bottle with your electric blanket.
- Avoid buying second-hand electric blankets.
Avoid leaving electric heaters on when you’re out or asleep
Electric heaters can cause devastating fires if they’re not used with care. So:
- Keep them away from anything that could catch fire
- Avoid leaving them on overnight or when you’re out
- Don’t plug them into extension leads
Use hot water bottles safely
Doctors and nurses are seeing high numbers of children with serious burns from hot water bottles. Bottles can burst, especially if a child sits or lies on one.
Remember, boiling water can damage your hot water bottle, which is why you should leave the boiled water to cool before filling it. Other things affecting its safety include how old it is, overfilling it and storing it incorrectly.
Keep hot drinks out of reach
They’re the ultimate winter warmers, but hot soups and drinks can cause devastating burns to children. In fact, your hot drink stays hot enough to scald your young child’s delicate skin for 15 minutes after it’s been made.
So, whether you’re getting your daily caffeine fix or warming up with a soup, remember to:
- Keep hot drinks out of reach
- Move kettles to the back of the worktop
- Use the back rings of the hob first and turn pan handles in
- Avoid passing hot drinks or food over children
Keeping babies warm: Safer sleep advice
As the smallest and most vulnerable in our homes, babies deserve a section of their own. So, here are some important things to remember:
Avoid hoods and head coverings when indoors
It can be tempting to wrap your baby up to keep them warm, but overheating a baby increases the chances of SIDS. Try to keep the room temperature between 16–20C.
Remember, babies lose heat through their heads, so remove hats or hoods when indoors or in a car so they don’t overheat.
You can monitor your baby’s temperature by feeling their chest or the back of their neck. If their skin feels clammy, it’s a sign they’re getting too hot.
Avoid placing your baby next to a radiator or other heat source
Babies can’t regulate their own temperature so can overheat. Plus, a baby’s delicate skin and limited movement puts them at risk of burns. In one year alone, 160 children were burned so badly on radiators they had to be admitted to a specialist NHS burns unit.
So, if you can, move their cot away from the radiator. And, if you’re using another heat source like a portable heater, direct it away from your baby.
More risks to avoid…
Novelty sleeping bags may look cosy but many sold online have been recalled as they present a serious risk of suffocation, overheating and death.
So, choose sleep bags with well fitted neck and arm holes so your baby can’t wriggle down inside. And avoid sleep bags with hoods or head coverings.
Plus, steer clear of hot water bottles, weighted blankets and cot bumpers in your baby’s sleep space. They might seem like cosy additions but can be dangerous for babies.
For more safer sleep advice for babies, please visit The Lullaby Trust.
At Christmas…
For many families it’s the highlight of the winter season. But all the excitement can bring new hazards.
Shop safely
With many families feeling the pinch, cheap toys from online marketplaces are very appealing.
But these toys may have cheap parts that break easily, easy-access button batteries, high-strength magnets or harmful levels of chemicals. And the dangers aren’t always obvious.
Visit our toy safety hub to learn more about buying safe toys
Watch out for deadly decorations
When you’re decking the halls this Christmas please keep safety in mind. Look out for:
- Frayed or loose cords on the fairy lights
- Overloaded sockets or extensions
- Candles near the tree – real or fake, they can burn
- Easy-access button batteries in decorations that light up or make noise
Keep safety in mind when away from home
Whether you’re visiting loved ones, or going on holiday, please remember to use the same caution as you would do at home.
Here are a few simple checks and precautions to remember:
- Move any cleaning products or medicines out of reach
- Check window blind cords are safely secured out of reach and that window locks work
- Keep young children away from balconies unless they are supervised and lock balcony doors when not in use.
- Be alert to any water nearby.
