Keeping kids safe through the holidays

You don't need to return that hard-to-find gift, but make sure it's right for your children.

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Sometimes the difference between a toy or other gift being safe and unsafe is you.

“It’s always good to have adult supervision with some of those children, especially the younger children”, says DHHS Safe Kids Nebraska Coordinator Jason Kerkman. “Most of the toy injuries occur in children under the age of 4.”

You can have a less hands-on role, too, by making things safe before gifts are even opened.

“If you’re going to buy a scooter, a bicycle, or something like that, also go out and look for the helmet, maybe look for some elbow pads”, explains Kerkman. He gives another example: If “you want to go buy a chemistry set, go ahead and buy maybe some eye protection”.

There are other things to watch out for during the holidays that aren’t quite toy-related but are no less troublesome. Wrapping paper can represent a huge problem for small children. “They grab some shiny wrapping paper or something and now you’ve got a choking issue”, Kerkman says.

Really, though, you want to be safe and smart, but you should also let kids be kids.

“We want kids to be active, we want them to play, we want them to have the bumps and the scrapes, and the bruises when they’re playing; that’s okay”, says Kerkman. “We don’t want to have the catastrophic injuries where you’re going to the emergency room.”