According to a recent news source, children are most likely to choke between the ages of two and five. An ears, nose and throat doctor suggests the following tips to make sure your home is a safe place for young children:
-Hot dogs, peanuts and grapes are the perfect size to block the air pipe, so avoid introducing those and similarly shaped foods too early.
-Keep your home safe by getting on your child’s level, literally. Crawl around your home and look at all the potential trouble a child could get into. Make sure to child proof any lower cabinets with potentially hazardous materials in them.
-Make sure bottle tops are properly disposed of out of reach of children, as they often choke on these.
-Young children should not be given chewing gum or ice.
-Make sure you provide something to drink when your child eats. This helps the food transit smoothly down the throat.
-Pet toys are not monitored for choking hazards like children’s toys are, so make sure nothing can come loose off of your pet’s toys, such as the bells or squeaking parts of the toy.
-Other products that commonly pose a choking hazard to young children include coins, small, flat batteries (such as those for watches), broken balloons, nuts, peanut butter, marshmallows, and sausages.
At our Los Angeles personal injury law firm, consumer safety is our number one priority, especially when it comes to children. Please consider these tips if you have young children or if young children frequent your home. Also, make sure your child’s toys are safe by checking them for small parts or part that could potentially loosen and be swallowed. Please check this bog regularly in order to stay informed of products that could be potentially dangerous to you and your family. And if you or a loved one has been affected by a dangerous consumer product, please do not hesitate to call a product liability lawyer right away. The longer you wait the more chance you have of losing evidence for your potential product liability case.