Child safety and the holidays

Child safety and the holidays


Updated 00:39am (Mla time) Dec 22, 2004
By Michael Tan
Inquirer News Service



Editor's Note: Published on page A15 of the December 22, 2004 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer


CHILDREN are the ones who most enjoy Christmas and New Year celebrations, but the recent tragedy that struck the De Venecia family reminds us, too, how the holiday celebrations actually put our children at great risk of injury and even death.

The toll of young lives is bound to continue to increase over the next few days, so I thought of compiling, based on the problems we've had in previous years, a few safety reminders to help prevent some of these tragedies.

Fiery lights

Christmas lights have been getting cheaper each year because of imports from China. It's amazing how cheap these lights have become. The last two years, I've been buying some of my lights from Divisoria but have noticed that the wires are really much too thin and that many conk out after a few days. The De Venecia fire has convinced me there's too much risk with these cheap lights, but mind you, some of the more expensive sets I got from the upmarket outlets weren't that durable either, making me wonder if our Department of Trade and Industry sets standards for the importation of these products.

Also watch out with those Christmas lanterns, especially those made of paper. Still I'd check the wiring and bulb sockets of capiz lanterns.

Follow the advice being given by government agencies about getting lights with parallel connections, and about not overloading the lights. One hardware clerk gave me this additional safety tip: it's better to get lights that blink, rather than those that stay on constantly. Obviously, it's the latter that heat up and burn out all too quickly.

Government warnings have concentrated on the lights, but I'd also be careful about another source of fires: substandard extension plugs and cords. About two years ago, I bought an extension cord from China and it went up in smoke, literally, within a week. Fortunately, the computer equipment plugged into the extension remained intact.

Christmas trees

The lights become extra hazardous when they're on Christmas trees, especially artificial ones. A short-circuit in the wiring can send out sparks and start a conflagration. It's best then to turn off the lights--whether on Christmas trees or not--before the household goes to bed, or when they're unattended.

If there are very young children at home, I'd be even more cautious and avoid putting lights on the trees or any place within reach of the kids. I was carrying a five-month-old baby the other day, while sitting next to a Christmas tree, when the tree came crashing down. I knew she was attracted to the lights the minute we walked into the room, and as we drew closer to the tree, she became even more fascinated because of the ornaments. As babies go, all it took was a split-second, one unguarded moment, as I spoke to friends, for her to pull on one of the branches. Fortunately, I was carrying her so all she had was a bad fright.

It's not just the lights then that we need to watch out for but also the ornaments and the tree itself. The artificial ones made out of plastic or aluminum are very light and are easily knocked over, so it's best to reinforce the base.

No safe firecracker

Besides the lights and trees, we should be extra careful with firecrackers. In many parts of Metro Manila, kids are already roaming the streets setting off firecrackers. The health secretary came out a few days ago to warn about firecrackers, but the mass media have been slow to pick up those advisories.

I just feel there is no firecracker safe enough for use with children around. Even sparklers, for example, can cause minor burns and as you move into the larger and more powerful firecrackers, you run additional risks, from fingers being blown off to firecracker shrapnel flying into the air and hitting someone.

Each year television channels provide us with gory and bloody scenes of firecracker injuries being treated in hospitals but many people are also unaware of the invisible effects of these firecrackers: the sulfur in these firecrackers pollutes the air for hours and can be very problematic for kids (and adults) with chronic respiratory problems--asthma, for example.

We also don't get to see the effects of a particularly deadly firecracker which has been banned, but which continues to be sold: watusi, those tiny pellet-sized firecrackers which you step on to activate. Unused pellets left on the ground can be picked up by infants, very young children and let's not forget, our pets, and in previous years we've had deaths from ingesting them.

Holiday-licious food and gifts

Generally, the holiday season means higher risks of children ingesting small items besides the watusi. Just the other day, I was in a relative's home, watching young toddlers play on the floor. Fortunately, one of the mothers noticed tiny white beads strewn on the floor. She quickly picked them up and traced where they were coming from. It turned out one of the little girls was wearing a "pearl" necklace with a broken strand.

Young children might mistake these tiny objects for candy and swallow them. In other cases, children, especially babies, are just plain curious and will put anything in their mouth. Many toys sold locally have inadequate warnings about small parts which can be wrenched off, or which drop off, and might end up being swallowed.

I'd also be careful about food. Older people tend to be more conscious now about cholesterol and fat in their holiday food, and then forget that we need to watch what the kids are eating. Food with peanuts, even those cooked in peanut oil, should not be given to infants because they may have a peanut allergy. With older children, I'd also watch out for nuts in general and other food items that can get stuck in the throat. In Taiwan, there are warnings about those gelatin cups which you "pop" into the mouth. Even if they're soft, they can still end up being lodged in a child's throat.

If you're trying to instill good eating habits in your children, remember all those parties will be full of temptations as well-soft drinks, sweets and various snack items especially. As to teenage children, don't forget to warn them about alcohol. It's a challenge to parents to keep kids off the junk and find ways to provide foods that are, in the words of my partner, holiday-licious but healthy.

And Bantay, too

Oops, one of my dogs is staring at me, so allow me a postscript. The holidays will mean lots of chocolate, which you should never, never give to Bantay. Dogs lack a digestive enzyme to break down some of the substances in chocolate which are toxic to them, sometimes fatally. And while I'm at it, let me warn you, too, against giving dogs chicken bones, nuts and other stuff that might cause choking.

Let's keep the holidays safe for all our loved ones, human and non-human.