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Daycare Emergency Tips - How to Be Prepared for the Five Most Common Accidents
By Rachel Perry Pellegrini
Children are unpredictable and care givers are not perfect. It is possible that despite
your best efforts to child proof your home, an accident may occur. Do not wait for a child
to accidentally ingest children's cough syrup or for a massive snow storm to shut you in
with five kids for a night. Think ahead and plan for emergencies so when crisis occurs you
are prepared.
Five Common Emergencies to be prepared for at a daycare
1. Child Choking
When you see a child choking the first thing you do is listen. Are they coughing or
not? If they are coughing then air is getting through and that is good. Open their mouth
to see if you can see the object and scoop with your finger in their mouth side to side to
see if you can pick anything out. If you don't see anything or you can't remove what you
see then pat strongly on the child's lower back in an upright slant. This may force the
object up. If that fails, call 911 immediately. They will guide you through the next steps
to perform the Hymlick manuvre on a child.
2. Severe Weather
Depending on where you live your weather threats will be different. Check with your
local online weather source to find the most frequent severe weather threats for your
region. Then prepare an emergency plan and kit appropriate for those emergencies. All
homes should have a 72-hour emergency kit regardless of where you live that includes
non-perishable food, water, and basic supplies to get you through 3 days. Talk with your
parents about your plan.
3. Ingest something
When you turn your eye for a moment a child may drink something they should not have.
Prevention is key here. Keep your "yucky stuff" (ie cleaners, bleaches etc) out of the
children's area and/or locked in a cupboard. Also, emphasize to parents how important it
is to notify you of any medicine sent with the child that day. Prescriptions and medicines
should all be kept out of reach of children. If an accident occurs, keep the container and
call your poison control number listed at the front of your phone book. You could also
call the local hospital for advice.
4. Break a Bone
Look to see if if the foot or hand at the end of the injured extremity is cold or blue.
If so, call 911 immediately. Next call the parent. While you are waiting for an ambulance
or the parent there are a few things you can do to help the child.
1. Do NOT straighten the limb if it is deformed - keep the child still.
2. Stabilize the wounded area by using padding to keep it immobile.
3. Put ice on the injury but not directly on the skin - put it in a bag or wrap ice in a towel.
After holding ice on the injury for about 20 minutes, take it off for 20 minutes.
4. Elevate the extremity to reduce swelling.
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