Prevention of hot drink burns is easy using simple SafeTea rules:
- Keep hot drinks out of reach of young children
- Never carry a hot drink whilst carrying a baby
- Never pass a hot drink over the heads of young children
Ways to keep hot drinks away from children
Place hot drinks at the back of the kitchen surface
Don’t place a hot drink on a cloth that hangs down over the edge of the table so that a small child can reach and pull it down
Make a SafeTea zone: a safe place for hot drinks in your home, where your family and visitors can keep hot drinks out of reach of small children
Avoid drinking hot drinks around small children
Always remind visitors to your home to ‘Keep hot drinks out of reach of young children’
Things you can do to prevent other burns and scalds for children
Hot appliances
- Keep hot appliances out of reach of children. Check hair straightners and irons are cooling down somewhere safe.
- Check appliance cables are not hanging down, which children could pull on.
- Keep secure fire guards in front of open fires, log burners, heaters and radiators and take care with children around BBQs.
Fires
- Keep candles, matches and lighters out of children's sight and reach.
- Flamable materials including fancy dress clothes can catch fire very easily. Be careful if your children are wearing them near flames.
- Bonfires should be built away from the house, sheds, fences and trees. Have a bucket of water or a hose nearby in case of emergencies and keep children and pets away.
Sun
Children's skin is a lot more sensitive than adult's. Always:
- Slip on a t-shirt.
- Slap on a sunhat.
- Slop on some sunblock (factor 50 for children).
In the bathroom
- Always run the cold water first in the bath or sink before adding hot water.
- Check the temperature with your elbow or a thermometer.
- You can fix a thermostatic mixer to your bath tap so that the water does not get too hot.
In the kitchen
- Point the handles of saucepans away from the side of the hob, and move kettles out of children's reach.