Children’s safety is the utmost concern for all parents. It is embedded in our nature to make sure they receive enough nourishment, make them learn new things and make sure no harm will come to them. It is a moral obligation of any human being to look after one another, most especially children who are yet to see the beauty of this world. In Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, Security and safety rank second as the top most important needs of man, next only to Physiologic needs such as healthy food. As parents, it is our duty to not only provide them with all their needs but also ensure that they are given safe, clean and healthy supplies promoting their well-being.
Child safety is at its most important when they are at their earliest age. When providing them with bottle feeds, baby clothes, teethers or using plastic nipples, we have to make sure that the quality of the items we are using are not substandard. Fake items are easily and cheaply bought in the market, which of course endangers the health of our babies. Hazardous chemicals, high lead contents, and many others are the most concern of the public. Choking hazard should also be looked at for when we buy supplies for our babies. Children of young ages do not have the proper skills to free themselves on their own when choking occurs, that is why we buy them safe items and also keep them in our sight. Some toys are provided with age-friendly indicators for us consumers to have guidance in buying toys for them to play at home.
In their pre-school and school years, there is a change in the items and supplies they need. When in school, specifically in art class, we must provide them with non-toxic crayons or paints so as to lessen the risk of poisoning in cases of ingestion. We must make sure that when they play with other kids, we provide them with educational toys so that not only that they will have fun, but also learn in the process. As soon as they start learning to read, we must provide them with good books, or novel which are appropriate for their age. We must alarm ourselves if they get in touch with mature materials as this may poison their innocent minds. In setting the bedroom design, caution must also be noted when doing the task. Children tend to run around the room, crawl under tables, or cause havoc in the house. We must design it in a way that avoidable accidents will be lessened, if not have minimal damage. Buying them clothes and dresses to wear must also not be taken for granted. If possible allow them to wear bright colored dresses so as to make it easier to spot them in crowded areas especially in the playground. I do not advise the use of recyclable materials for hygienic reasons.
Standards are set in the buying safe supplies for our children. Let us not put second priority the safety and security of them.
