Dangerous Play
Reviewed by Paula Kriner
CONSUMER HEALTH INTERACTIVEChild Safe: A Practical Guide for Preventing Childhood Injuries
By Mark A. Brandenburg, MD
Three Rivers Press
228 pp $14 
My interest in child safety began at an early age. It's hard to remember just which event triggered it. Was it the shiny bead -- one of my favorite treasures -- my sister stuffed up her nose? Or the large portion of "Mr. Bubble" bath soap my baby brother ingested? He came out of the bathroom spewing bubbles from my soap (and boy, was I mad). To make matters worse, I had to watch my other three siblings in the emergency room while he had his stomach pumped. As the oldest of five children and the one often left in charge during playtime, I was always encountering hazards, sometimes after the fact. This was before the advent of such handy devices as covers for the electrical outlets, locks for the toilet, and gates to keep those little ones from tumbling downstairs. Thinking back, it's a wonder how any of us survived with death-trap cribs, killer walkers, and cars without seat belts, much less safety seats for children. ER experience
Mark A. Brandenburg, an emergency room physician in Tulsa, Oklahoma, has his own war stories to tell. Brandenburg compiled "Child Safe: A Practical Guide for Preventing Childhood Injuries," based on some of the casualties he's patched up in the emergency room, the latest childhood injury research, and probably some of his own firsthand experiences as a father. There are millions of children injured each year in the United States, he points out. "I want parents to be armed with the same information that is already well-known to public health researchers and emergency physicians -- specifically, how and why children are injured," Brandenburg writes. The book is aimed at first-time parents, babysitters, and even grandparents who once again find themselves taking care of children. A lot of today's recognized hazards were unknown 20 to 30 years ago, Brandenburg points out. Child Safe organizes these hazards according to age and type of injuries, and it covers a lot of ground, from dangerous toys and product recalls to childproofing your homes. He also explores the items considered safe for adults but hazardous for kids: escalators, dresser drawers, recliners, and even shopping carts. Among the biggest hazards are the ones that are disguised as toys, furnishings, or your home itself: trampolines and hanging crib toys, old paint that contains poisonous lead, even the bunk beds we once coveted as kids. In fact, most injuries from bunk beds result from falls. Some children have gotten lodged between the bed and wall or had their heads caught in the guardrails and suffocated. Trampolines have come under international scrutiny of late because of the tremendous number of injuries. About 40 percent of the accidents from trampolines involve sprains and fractures, but many children have also been killed or paralyzed with brain or spinal cord injuries. Child Safe's tips run the gamut. Buy the biggest vehicle possible. Get a carbon monoxide alarm. Test your home for carbon monoxide. Don't let your child sneak up on a dog. Avoid soft bedding for babies. The book also offers advice on how to choose a day-care center or babysitter for your child. There's even a section detailing the hazards of holidays, from fireworks on the Fourth of July to poinsettias and holly at Christmas and candy at Easter and Halloween. Product recalls
Brandenburg is aware that his book cannot possibly cover every potential threat, so he urges parents to always be on guard. New products, even those that have been tested, could pose a problem, he says, and he recommends that we use our imagination. "If you can conceive that an injury might occur in a new and different way or by a new product, trust your instinct and take precautions, because it probably can," he warns. Staying current with product recalls is a feat in itself. Child Safe lists the latest recalls before the book went to press. Recently, a manufacturer was forced to recall rubber fish bath toys that spray water. Toddlers have flattened the toy and stuffed it into their mouths, suffocating themselves when the fish fills with air and can't be spit out. It's tragic but true: Kids will try to put anything into their mouths. (One of my younger brothers claimed to enjoy eating our dog's food and sought it out when we played outdoors. I once watched as he considered putting a live snail from our garden in his mouth, poison powder and all.) The bottom line is that parents and others who supervise children must be constantly vigilant, while still allowing them the freedom to explore their surroundings. A lot of child safety is just plain common sense -- and it requires taking the necessary precautions to prevent accidents. But even knowing all this and holding a master's degree in public health, I am still baffled by how my 2-year-old daughter was able to slip a pea up her nose while my back was turned. Here's a tip you won't read in Child Safe: Nasal aspirators come in real handy. -- Paula Kriner, M.P.H., has a master's degree in public health and has written for Medical Economics and California Lawyer, among other publications. As a consultant for California's Department of Health Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, she has also written clinicians' training materials on breast cancer screening and follow-up.
Further Resources The National SAFE KIDS Campaign's Web site at http://www.safekids.org has more safety information. You can also call (202) 939-4993. For information about product recalls, visit the Consumer Product Safety Commission Web site at http://www.cpsc.gov. For general information on child health and safety, contact the National Child Care Information Center at http://www.nccic.org or by calling (800) 616-2242. For educational materials and reports on traffic safety, safety seats and bicycle safety, contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration at http://www.nhtsa.gov. Call the Auto Safety Hot Line at (800) 424-9393 or the Technical Reference Library at (800) 445-0197. Centers for Disease Control. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Injuries Among Children and Adolescents. http://origin.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/children.htm SafeUSA. Trampolines. 2002. http://www.safeusa.org/sports/trampoli.htm
Reviewed by C.E. McLaughlin, MD, a professor of sports medicine at the University of California at Berkeley.
Our reviewers are members of Consumer Health Interactive's medical advisory board.
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First published January 24, 2001
Last updated June 26, 2008
Copyright © 2001 Consumer Health Interactive
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