As children grow older, each stage of their growth opens up a new set of potential dangers, whether at home or outdoors. Accidents at home may include falls, accidental burns and scalding to swallowing harmful objects or substances. Most of these accidents are preventable through greater awareness of potential dangers and improved home safety.

Dr Alison Snodgrass, Consultant from the Department of Paediatrics​ at KK​ Women's and Children's Hospital, gives detailed answers to your questions.

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Hi Doctor. When I’m at work, my parents, who live close to me, help to take care of my kids (6 and 2 y/o). How do I tell them nicely that they have to childproof their flat? Is there some kind of checklist that’s easy for them to follow? They have a lot of stuff they won’t let go of. Frus81

Answered by Dr Alison Snodgrass, Consultant, General Paediatrics and Adolescent Service, Department of Paediatrics, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital

Dear Frus81,

Parenting certainly isn’t an easy job, and sharing childcare duties with grandparents, who no doubt love your children deeply but are also likely to have differing opinions on childraising strategies, can be a challenge. It’s wonderful to hear that you’re willing to approach your parents openly and sincerely to work this out for the benefit of your children, especially since most accidents involving children take place in the home environment.

Browse through your two-year-old’s child health booklet. You’ll come across a section on child safety and injury prevention. It contains a detailed (though not exhaustive) checklist of common danger points in the home, suggestions for various safety devices (such as corner protectors) and other measures you can take to protect your children from injuries and poisoning. These safety devices can be purchased at local stores selling infant and child products in Singapore. You may find this article​ with child safety checklists useful: Childhood Injuries: Most Falls, Burns Occur at Home​​

It may be helpful to reassure your parents that some childproofing the home may be necessary because you don’t want your children to damage their valuable possessions. Fragile items such as vases, for example, should be kept high and out of reach as young children may topple these over and injure themselves with the broken porcelain pieces.

Please also note that as grandparents age, they are also at risk for falling at home, and as such, removing tripping hazards such as exposed electrical cords and unstable furniture such as low plastic stools will make the home a safer place for them too.

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Dear Doc, we live on the 15th floor,​ with a great view. We didn’t have plans to have kids when we moved in so we installed shutter blinds for all windows. The blinds seem to be deterrent enough when our friends’ kids come over. We don’t have any furniture near the windows. But I’m just wondering: Now that we are planning to have kids, should we just remove all the blinds and install grills? Are invisible grilles just as good as normal grilles? I still want my view. SandyBeaches

Answered by Dr Alison Snodgrass, Consultant, General Paediatrics and Adolescent Service, Department of Paediatrics, KK Women's and Children's Hospital

Dear SandyBeaches,

Good thinking! Falls from high-rise buildings is a major cause of paediatric mortality in Singapore, and installing grilles on all windows to protect children is definitely a safety measure that I would recommend. It would be best to consult industry experts on the most appropriate type of grille. Please note that the distance between the grille bars must be appropriate to prevent children from slipping through the gaps.

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Doctor, we do our best to childproof our home; we even use melamine tableware and bottled water now. BUT STILL one day our 18-month-old daughter slipped and fell after she dropped my husband’s BPA-free bottle filled with water. The bottle cracked btw. She’s fine now but what else can we do to prevent such falls at home. - AngieR

Answered by Dr Alison Snodgrass, Consultant, General Paediatrics and Adolescent Service, Department of Paediatrics, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital

Dear AngieR,

It’s commendable that you and your husband have taken measures to protect your daughter from injuries in the home. At 18 months old, a child’s balance while walking or stooping to pick up objects on the ground may still not be very steady, and it is wise to limit the weight of items that they carry. Some general tips to prevent falls in the home include installing child safety gates at the top of staircase, removing carpets or using rugs with non-slip undersurfaces, tidying up electrical cords or putting them behind furniture, and teaching your daughter to pick up toys after playing so that she does not trip over them.

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Hi Doctor. My wife is a crazy cat lady – we have 2 cats now. It wasn’t a problem until we had our baby. She’s almost 1 now. How do we prevent our baby fromplaying in the cat litter or swallowing bits of it (I find bits of them all over the house sometimes). We’ve gotten the covered litter box and we clean the cats and floor the best we can but it really takes a lot of time, especially after work! My wife won’t give up the cats. What can I do? Wahlau00

Answered by Dr Alison Snodgrass, Consultant, General Paediatrics and Adolescent Service, Department of Paediatrics, KK Women's and Children's Hospital

Dear Wahlau00,

It sounds like you have your hands full! What strategies have you and your wife discussed to deal with the challenges of looking after both children and pets?

There are certain health risks associated with pet rearing that you should be aware of. Have you checked whether the cat litter you are using contains substances that are toxic to children if swallowed? Coming into contact with kitten faeces can transmit toxoplasmosis, a parasitic infection spread by handling cat litter without gloves.

This infection may be asymptomatic or cause swollen lymph glands in otherwise healthy children but can seriously infect the brain and nervous system in children with weakened immune systems, or harm the developing fetuses in pregnant women.

Another infection that can be transmitted by cats to people is cat-scratch disease, caused by a bacterium known as Bartonella henselae, that lives in infected cat saliva and can be spread by biting or scratching, or skin fungal infections such as ringworm.

Having considered the possible risks, it is also worthwhile thinking about the potential benefits of teaching your daughter to interact kindly with animals and learn proper, gentle ways of handling them. Caring for pets can be a very good way to cultivate responsibility in your child.

Some useful suggestions to consider might be to have a special cat area cordoned off by a child safety gate so that your daughter can only interact with the cats under an adult's supervision, and making sure that your cats are as healthy as possible, including getting them all the necessary vaccinations from your veterinarian.

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Dear doctor. I have lots of indoor plants. A friend told me I should get rid of them because children are natural plant destroyers and play with/eat soil/leaves/flowers. How do I keep them and still ensure the house is safe for my toddler? gaiaeve

Answered by Dr Alison Snodgrass, Consultant, General Paediatrics and Adolescent Service, Department of Paediatrics, KK Women's and Children's Hospital

Dear Gaiaeve,

Plants do make a home look lovely, don't they? If you have a balcony, have you considered moving your plants there and locking the gate to prevent your toddler from having access to them? Another option might be to place the plants on indoor display ledges high up out of your toddler’s reach. Of course, children are naturally curious (this is how they learn!), so it is probably a good idea to identify and remove poisonous plants from your home until your child is older to prevent accidental ingestions. Or switch to artificial plants!

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Doc, my husband is trying hard to quit smoking and I dont want to give him any more pressure. Thing is, I still find cigarette ash and butts here and there. I won’t be around to wipe the floor all the time. How do I support him while keeping the house safe for the children? -lisx65

Answered by Dr Alison Snodgrass, Consultant, General Paediatrics and Adolescent Service, Department of Paediatrics, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital

Dear Lisx65,

Congratulations to your husband for having the courage to take on the challenge of quitting smoking! Your concern for your children’s health and safety is well-placed as exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke puts children at increased risk for colds, ear infections, wheezing and asthma. Falling sick more often may also mean poorer performance in studies or sports. Secondhand tobacco smoke contains many harmful chemicals such as arsenic (found in white ant poison), hydrogen cyanide (poison in execution chambers) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane DDT (found in pesticides), and several chemicals may be cancer-causing. Cigarette butts and ash left on the floor can harm small children if they are picked up or consumed.

Smoking causes physical as well as psychological addiction and many smokers make about six to seven attempts to quit before finally succeeding. It may be useful for your husband to make an appointment at one of the many smoking cessation clinics located at polyclinics in Singapore as there are now several medications available that can help ease the withdrawal symptoms from nicotine and enhance quitting. For more information on the smoking cessation programme, please visit:​I Quit 28-Day Countdown​​.​

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Doctor, my MIL is super scared of lizards and recently she’s put those sticky pads around the house to catch them. Aren’t those things toxic? I don’t want my kids playing with the pads. What are the alternatives to these sticky pads? Are there options for child-safe pest removal? PinkOctagon

Answered by Dr Alison Snodgrass, Consultant, General Paediatrics and Adolescent Service, Department of Paediatrics, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital

Dear PinkOctagon,

Many people certainly have mixed feelings about house lizards! You didn’t mention the exact type or contents of the sticky pads your mum-in-law uses, but as a general rule, such products are known as glue traps or boards and basically consist of trays coated with an extremely sticky adhesive that immobilises insects or pests that run across it, lizards in this case. The adhesives are commonly made of mineral oils, resins and synthetic rubber and are often treated with food flavouring to attract pests. Although the glue is purportedly non-toxic, urine and faeces from pests caught in the glue boards can be a health concern.

General tips to keep your home free of lizards and other pests might include keeping the house clean and clutter-free, closing cracks in the walls and openings around doors to prevent lizards from entering, and avoiding the breeding of insects in stagnant water or rubbish, which is a source of lizard food and can also spread diseases such as dengue fever. For more information, please contact your local pest control services.

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Dear Dr. I bring my kids to the pool at our condo every week. But lately the rain has been quite horrible, with a lot of lightning. How to keep them safe when they’re at the pool? I mean is it ok to still swim when there’s light rain (no lightning)? What if there’s no lifeguard? PrincessBB

Answered by Dr Alison Snodgrass, Consultant, General Paediatrics and Adolescent Service, Department of Paediatrics, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital

Dear PrincessBB,

It’s great that you’re paying attention to water safety for your kids! There are many considerations in risk assessment, including the ages of your children, their abilities to swim, their physical conditions (it is inadvisable to swim when ill or overly tired, or too soon after eating) as well as external factors like the depth of the pool, the visibility of underwater steps (which might be a tripping hazard) and the presence or absence of water features that may obscure your view of your children while they are swimming.

The most important thing is to supervise your children at all times while they are in the water, without allowing distractions such as mobile devices to interfere with your observing eye. Contrary to popular belief, drowning can actually occur silently and within a matter of seconds, rather than being accompanied by splashing and shouting for several minutes. Most condominium pools have no lifeguards.

Do also educate your children on safety around and in the pool, including avoiding running on potentially wet and slippery surfaces at the poolside, and if you are able, do consider signing up for a course in emergency resuscitation and basic cardiac life support – you never know when you just might need those skills to save a child’s life!

For more information on the risks of submersion, and preventive measures to improve water safety for children, you may refer this link: https://www.kkh.com.sg/AboutUs/PressReleas​e/Pages/10-03-2​016.aspx​

​​Ref: P16