Parents share the ‘life-saving’ lessons they learnt to protect their kids at the school gate
SCHOOL gate chat isn’t all gossip – with three in 10 parents claiming they learned ‘life saving’ lessons for their kids from other parents.
And the most commonly-shared piece of advice is to always keep small items such as batteries or coins clear of kids.
Around four in 10 shared this titbit, along with keeping front doors locked even when the house is full, to stop kids wandering out.
The study of 1,000 parents of children up to 10 years old revealed 25 per cent frequently use tips they have picked up from others in the same boat.
While 36 per cent would favour the opinion of another parent on a product over anything they read online.
The research was commissioned by Duracell as part of its #Take10 campaign which encourages parents to take 10 minutes to check their homes are safe of lithium coin batteries.
Child first aid experts have previously warned that coin batteries can be deadly to kids if swallowed as energy from the battery reacts with saliva to create caustic soda.
Sarah Chapman from the brand, said: “There’s no doubt there’s great value in what other parents have to say when it comes down to raising children safely.
“Parents with a real eye for safety within homes will be looking to pick up tips and advice from all sorts of places – this might be online, through social media, or in real life such as at the school gates or in conversation with other parents.”
The research found nearly a third (32 per cent) of respondents have bought products to keep their children safe, based on advice from other parents.
And 24 per cent reckon doing that has helped dodge a serious injury to their child, according to the OnePoll figures.
However, only 57 per cent believe they actually spend enough time checking their home is fully as safe as it could be.
Of the children who have swallowed something they shouldn’t have, 70 per cent ended up requiring medical attention.
Sarah Chapman from Duracell added: “Emergencies can happen in the blink of an eye and that can be taken quite literally – in a flash, a child can put something, like a battery, in their mouth and swallow it before you have time to react.
“No parent can be switched on 100 per cent of the time to ensure this doesn’t happen, so prevention is always better than cure.
“Spending time sweeping houses to make sure there is nothing dangerous children can get hold of is really time well spent.”
Home safety tips for parents
1. Always keep small items such as batteries and coins clear
2. Always keep your front door locked so children can’t let themselves out
3. Don’t let children play with anything plugged into the mains when out of sight
4. Don’t let children play with anything with a long cable when out of sight
5. Specify a safe place to keep batteries that are out of harm’s way