Picture this: you’re busy putting away laundry and realise your home has gone quiet. Too quiet. Your child, who was playing in the other room, has vanished.
If your first thought is to look for them in their bedroom, a doctor wants you to try something else first. It might just save their life.
Taking to Instagram, emergency medicine physician Dr Joe Whittington (known as Dr Joe MD on social media) urged parents not to check the common places they would think their child might be.
Instead, he warned to check the “dangerous four” first. These are: pools (or pond), refrigerators, washers and dryers.
“Seconds count and if they hide under the table for an extra minute, who cares? Keep those kids safe,” he said.
In the caption for the video, the doctor added that “quick action can prevent tragic accidents in these often-overlooked locations”.
In response to the video, one commenter said: “Love this!!! Such great advice that should be shared!! Bravo!”
Lots of other parents added they would also check cars, which can get very hot – especially if stored in garages during the summer.
Some people took the opportunity to share how they had had narrow escapes, either hiding in such places as children, or when their children were smaller.
One Instagram user revealed: “I hid in an old locking fridge as a kid thinking it was a rocket ship. My mom and I were napping in bed but I snuck out and hid there.
“Thankfully she woke up and ran around looking for me and heard me banging. When she opened the door I was blue and almost unconscious. Take this seriously and educate yourself kids.”
Another said: “Oh this is so true, my daughter hid in my mom’s washing machine and it locked so we literally couldn’t get her out.” They added that thankfully their neighbour was home and had tools to be able to get her out.
One parent said they couldn’t find their daughter when she was little and she ended up being in the dryer. “After that, I told the kids no more hide and seek, ever!” they added.
If you are worried about your child hiding in your fridge, washing machine or tumble dryer, it’s worth keeping them locked when not in use – either with a built-in child lock, if the appliance has one, or an additional child safety strap lock bought online.
If you have a pool or pond, you might want to install a safety fence around the area to keep young children from falling in.
#Find #Child #Home #Check #Dangerous
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