6 Potential Child Dangers Your Family Members Should Avoid

As a parent, you probably care about your kids more than just about anything. You must watch over them as they grow up, and that means steering them away from perilous situations.

We’ll go over a few common child dangers your family members might encounter. Once you know about them, you can keep them out of the wrong hands or keep your child away from them.

Defective or Dangerous Products

Generally, you have no way to tell whether a product is defective. That’s something you’ll have to learn as you use it. You also might hear that a product is defective if:

*You register it, and then the manufacturer sends you a recall notification

*You read about it online or see a news report about it

Virtually any product might be dangerous, and the manufacturer may allow it to hit the store shelves without realizing it. The creator should test any product carefully before releasing it, but sometimes, a defective component will slip through.

If a defective product hurts your child, and you decide to bring a lawsuit against the manufacturer, that’s a way you can recoup medical bills and get compensation for the family’s pain and suffering.

You might have only a limited time to do it, though. For instance, in Florida, there’s a twelve-year limitation statute from when you purchased the defective product.  

Traffic

If you live on a quiet street where there’s rarely any traffic, you might feel okay letting your kids play in your front yard. However:

*A car could still hit them if they run out in the street

*A cyclist might collide with them

If your children are still young, you could have them play in the backyard rather than the front. If you have an enclosed backyard, that’s ideal for younger kids.

When your kids get to be a little older, you can teach them about looking both ways before crossing a street or running out into one. You can warn them they should always look for traffic before chasing a ball or some other toy that has left the yard.

Vicious Dogs

If you let your kids run around the neighborhood, you should tell them to watch out for vicious dogs as well. If they encounter a dog without a leash, you can tell them they should never try to pet it. They don’t know the animal’s disposition.

If they pass a yard with a dog penned up inside it, they should stay away from it, and they should never taunt it. Even if they know the dog, explain to them that some animals can be territorial, and they might snap at your child if they come too close to their property.

Household Poisons

You can watch out for household poisons around the home. You might keep some bleach or toilet de-clogger under the sink, or other chemical cleaners.

If the kids are too young for you to tell them to keep away from these dangerous cleaning products, you need to keep them out of reach. You might put a lock on your cabinet, or you could put the cleaners up on a high shelf where you know your kids can’t get to them.

Choking Hazards

If your child is still quite young, you need to watch out for choking hazards around the house. Those might be any small objects that the child might put in their mouth when you’re not paying close attention.

If you have older kids, and they like playing with Legos or other toys with small pieces, you can tell them to clean up after themselves. If they put their toys away when they finish playing with them, there is much less of a chance that your younger child will try to chew on one of them.

Bee Stings

Bee, wasp, or hornet stings are also dangers you want your child to avoid. You have to wait to tell whether your child is allergic to any of those insect stings until an accident occurs. Your child might step on a bee, for instance, and it might sting them.

If you see bees nearby, you can tell your kids to watch out for them, but if you see wasps or hornets, you might want to call an exterminator, especially if they’re in your house. Hornets can be quite aggressive and can sting even if you’re not agitating them.

Watch out for all of the above, and your children should be fine.