Safety
Kids are going to fall, crash, slip and tumble. It’s all part of being a kid. But there are little things we can all do to ensure that kids avoid more serious injuries. Walking to school, riding a bike, playing outside and participating in risky activities such as climbing increase at this age. Making sure your child is supervised while swimming or playing near water is very important as well as keeping harmful household products, tools equipment and firearms away form children and talking with your child about asking for help when they need it.
Safety Information by Topic
Tips from top safety experts on everything you need to keep kids of any age safe from preventable injuries. View All
Texas Safety Tips
The Department of Family and Protective Services provides information on child safety ranging from sleeping and water safety tips to how to report child abuse and neglect.
How to Make your House Safe for Kids
- Safety Tips
– Guard against Scalding
– Watch out for Windows
– Foil Other Falls
– Renovate Carefully
– Test for Radon
– Be Prepared for Fire
– Monitor Carbon Monoxide
– Ban Bugs Safely
– Avoid Allergens and Irritants
– Lock Up Poisonous Products
Facts about Healthy Homes
Follow these simple steps to make your home healthier.
- Keep It Dry – Moisture in homes can lead to mold and pests, which contribute to asthma, coughing, throat irritation, and nasal stuffiness.
- Keep It Clean – Reduces exposure to allergens, lead, pest infestations and pesticides.
- Keep It Pest-Free – Research shows that exposure to pests cause asthma episodes in children.
- Keep It Ventilated –Reduces hazards of moisture, allergens, mold, carbon monoxide, tobacco smoke, and volatile organic compounds.
- Keep It Safe – Common injuries in homes are falls, poisoning, burning, chocking and drowning.
- Keep It Contaminant-Free –Americans spend the majority of their time indoors, especially in winter. Limit chemicals, like pesticides and volatile organic compounds in the home.
- Keep It Maintained – Poor maintenance poses risks for moisture, pests, lead and safety hazards
Child Car Safety
Guide to Safety in the Car
- Forward-Facing – Children who have outgrown the rear-facing weight or height limit for their convertible seat should use a forward-facing seat with a harness for as long as possible, up to the highest weight or height allowed by their car safety seat manufacturer. Many seats can accommodate children up to 65 pounds or more.
- Booster Seats – All children whose weight or height exceeds the forward-facing limit for their car safety seat should use a belt-positioning booster seat until the vehicle seat belt fits properly, typically when they have reached 4 feet 9 inches in height and are 8 to 12 years of age. All children younger than 13 years should ride in the back seat.
- Seat Belts – When children are old enough and large enough for the vehicle seat belt to fit them correctly, they should always use lap and shoulder seat belts for the best protection. All children younger than 13 years should ride in the back seat.
Safety Recalls and Tips for Kids to Stay Safe in and Around Cars
