Health and Safety: Addressing Environmental Risks to Infants

This presentation addresses the critical topic of infant health and safety, focusing on the impact of environmental factors, particularly cluttered environments. It highlights the risks associated with such environments, including slips, falls, exposure to dangerous objects, and increased risk of infections. The presentation proposes a health promotion plan for caregivers, emphasizing the importance of creating a clutter-free and child-safe environment. Strategic recommendations include barricading play areas, installing safety rails and gates, and regularly decluttering the home. Evidence-based interventions, such as parental supervision programs and safety education, are discussed, along with community resources available to support parents. The presentation concludes by underscoring the need for proactive measures to ensure the well-being of infants in residential settings.

HEALTH AND SAFETY OF
INFANTS
NAME OF THE STUDENT:
NAME OF THE UNIVERSITY:
AUTHOR NOTE:

INTRODUCTION
• Infants represent the most vulnerable state of development
and they are at multiple risks which can affect their safety and
wellbeing (Yang et al., 2016).
• Infants have specific nutritional as well as emotional needs,
and underdeveloped immune system.
• A variety of environmental factors which have a variety of
potential to affect or detrimentally impact the infants and
their developmental processes (Johnson et al., 2015).
• These environmental factors include sanitation and hygiene,
cluttered environment, abusive family environment, poor
housing status, etc
• This presentation discusses cluttered environment as a threat,
provide strategic recommendation, accident safety
recommendations, and resources for assistance.

ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS AND THEIR
RISK
• Environmental factors or stressors effect
the infants with a varied degrees.
• The chosen environmental factor in this
case is cluttered environment (Hirsch et
al., 2018).
• Enhances the risk of the child getting into
accidents and hurting themselves.
• A cluttered and chaotic household even
effects the infants psychologically as well.

THE MOST NOTABLE RISKS
• The most notable is slip and fall.
• Such as the clutter of toys around everywhere the child
may go.
• can prompt a very high risk of the child slipping and falling
down, leading to severe injuries such as cuts, lacerations
and fractures (Alrimawi et al., 2019).
• Another very common example is water or liquid on the
floor.
• Infants when crawling can slip and lose balance falling and
sustaining severe injuries, especially in the jaws.

THE MOST NOTABLE RISKS
• A clutter around them might let them get their hands into
dangerous objects, which if they try to put in their mouth, can
be extremely risky for the infants.
• Infant toddlers around wires cluttered around enhances the risk
of them getting accidentally electrocuted (Burgess et al., 2017).
• A cluttered and unhygienic physical surrounding can also
enhance the risk of various infections and related health
disorders for the infants.
• Cluttered and uncomfortable surrounding instil a feeling in
danger or insecure, which in turn can affect the psychosocial
health and wellbeing of the child as well (Deák, 2015).

HEALTH PROMOTIONAL PLAN
• A health promotional plan for infants that are living
around cluttered and chaotic environment will include
both risk prevention and health promotional practices.
• First and foremost, the environment needs to be clutter
free and child safe (Pecora et al., 2017).
• The dangerous and sharp objects should be kept outside
of the reach of the child.
• Even the furniture and glass decorations needs to be
either mounted or fixated at their place and preferably
out of reach from the infants (Tamis-LeMonda, Kuchirko
& Tafuro, 2013).

STRATEGIC RECOMMENDATIONS
• A very common practical strategy to avoid any risk of accident is barricading the play
pens or play rooms, so that they are confined to a protected environment.
• The integration of safety rails on bed, stair gates and safety devices for windows and
doors is a very important recommendation.
• Along with that, common household items to remove or childproof include cords,
wastebaskets, objects on countertops within reach, cleansers and chemicals, small
items that present choking hazards, and pet dishes (Tamis-LeMonda, Kuchirko & Tafuro,
2013).
• Electronic objects including cords and sockets, should be either mounted high enough
so that the children can not reach it or must be child proofed.
• The guardians or parents must perform regular de-cluttering and clutter control, at
least twice a month to ensure utmost safety.
• Child friendly toy storage with a secure lid so that the infant can not topple things over
is an important strategic move to that they don’t create clutter in their space and
injure themselves (Burgess et al., 2017).

EVIDENCE BASED INTERVENTIONS
• According to Morrongiello et al. (2013) states that Supervising for Home
Safety program improves parental supervision and in turn enhances their
vigilance on infants.
• Morrongiello, McArthur & Bell (2014) states that parental teaching
regrading safety improvement can help in enhancing the safety of the
infants and clutter proof their surroundings.
• As discussed by Aplin, de Jonge & Gustafsson (2013) on the other hand that
taking into consideration the home dimensions can help in designing more
effective and suitable home modifications.

COMMUNITY RESOURCES
• Both government funded national programs and not for profit organizations providing training,
guidance and consultation to parents regarding creating a safe environment for their children.
• The higher rate of injuries and hazards for toddlers is associated with limited literacy and
awareness in parents and child care workers regarding proper child care and safety
techniques.
• One very important and beneficial resource or program for young mothers or fathers is the
injury prevention program by the USA government and CDC (Cdc.gov, 2019).
• Although, a more easy to access resource is a web based resource, preparefirst.com is one
such resource which can help the young parents and guardians understand how to childproof
their physical surroundings to safe (PrepareFirst.com, 2019).

CONCLUSION
• On a concluding note, child and infant safety is a very
important fact that is to be maintained effectively in
residential setting to ensure utmost safety for the children.
• This presentation effectively addresses the safety risks
associated with cluttered environment and physical
surrounding, how to overcome it with strategic
recommendation and possible resources that can be of
assistance.

REFERENCES
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• Aplin, T., de Jonge, D., & Gustafsson, L. (2013). Understanding the dimensions of home that impact on home modification decision making. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 60(2), 101-109.
• Burgess, A., Bell, T., Cirelli, J., Clymer, B. J., & Goodstein, M. H. (2017). Nursing Students' Knowledge and Attitudes Toward Infant Sleep Safety. Teaching and Learning in Nursing, 12(4), 289-294.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019). Infants & Toddlers (Ages 0-3) - Safety in the Home & Community. [online] Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/parents/infants/safety.html
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