It Only Takes a Minute for an Accident to Happen

It would seem that hectic lifestyles are to blame for the majority of accidents involving children.

A survey of 2,000 parents by top home safety brand Lindam, has revealed that seven out of ten mums are being forced to regularly leave their children playing unsupervised while carrying out other activities with 40 per cent of parents admitting their child has been injured around the house whilst they were busy cooking, cleaning and juggling aspects of domestic life. The survey has been run in conjunction with the first Lindam Safety Day to highlight the difference a minute can make when it comes to reducing childhood accidents.

And with more accidents happening in the home than anywhere else the majority of parents also said that it’s impossible to keep an eye on their children permanently to prevent accidents, which is why Lindam want to highlight to parents the number of accidents that can take place.

THE TOP 10 MOST COMMON ACCIDENTS FOR CHILDREN

1. Tripped in the garden
2. Fallen off the sofa
3. Fallen off the bed
4. Slipped on a floor
5. Hit head on a sharp corner
6. Shut fingers in a door
7. Injured when fighting with sibling
8. Fallen down the stairs
9. Smashed glass
10. Burnt on the cooker

A third of children have fallen off the sofa or tripped in the garden and an unlucky fifth has slipped on a floor, shut their fingers in a door or hit their head on a sharp corner. One in six has fallen down the stairs and the same number has been hurt from a fight with siblings.

The report found that the most common time for an accident to occur was while mums were busy cooking the evening meal and that the living room, garden and bedroom were the most popular places for these accidents to occur. However, whilst mums are not able to keep a constant eye on their children they do their best and are present for sixty per cent of accidents that their children experience. If they are distracted then it’s most likely to be whilst dealing with older siblings or being on the phone.

THE TOP 10 DISTRACTIONS FOR MUMS WHEN THEIR CHILD HAS HAD AN ACCIDENT

1. Cooking
2. Being on the phone
3. Other children misbehaving or requiring time
4. Working from home
5. Cleaning
6. Hoovering
7. Ironing
8. In the shower
9. Hanging out the washing
10. Getting dressed

All of these things are small distractions, with a minute looking away, can lead to an accident.

Hectic lifestyles are certainly evident with a tired 80 per cent of mums admitting they have to leave their child in front of the television sometimes so they can get on with things properly. Indeed, eight out of ten also say they often leave their child to play unsupervised around the home so they can get on with jobs around the house with only one in five saying that they’d never dream of letting their youngest out of sight.

Claire Rayner, a spokeswoman for Lindam said: “We have launched our first Safety Day as we are committed to reducing childhood accidents in the home and we feel it’s these small but important steps that can go a long way to reducing the amount of childhood accidents in the home.”

To find out more about Lindam Safety Day and helpful tips to help reduce accidents visit www.Lindam.com or like the Lindam Facebook page

September 2012

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