Child safety is a major concern for any parent. The risks to a child’s health are present from the moment parents bring their newborn home until the child enters adolescence and beyond. As a child grows up, many different steps can be taken to reduce the potential for harm both inside and outside the home.

Injuries are the leading cause of death in children ages 1 to 14, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians. Nearly 70 percent of these fatalities occur in children under age 4. Most of these deaths could be prevented with proper safety precautions.

The following factors are most often cited for child accidents in the home, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):

• Water in the kitchen, bathroom, swimming pool or hot tub.
  
  
• Heat or flames in a kitchen or barbecue grill.
  
  
• Toxic substances under the kitchen sink, in the medicine cabinet, in the garage, or in a purse.
  
  
• Areas where falls may occur, such as stairs, slippery floors or high windows.

As children grow older, they become more inquisitive and their physical and psychological progression allows them to engage in an ever-growing list of behaviors that are necessary for development, but which can also present various risks to their health. This patient guide highlights some of the things parents can do to increase child safety at various points during a child’s life. However, some areas of child safety are explained in greater detail in other patient guides.