Trying to relieve pain by putting toothpaste on a burn or moving a child more than strictly necessary after a fall or blow are just some of the common mistakes made by many parents and that Hospiten professionals are trying to clarify through a series of talks on children’s accidents that began at the Centro Infantil Patuco in La Laguna.
In all, around 40 parents and 8 carers attended the talk at the center given by Dr. Maria Asuncion Gaspar, from the Hospiten Pediatrics Service, which aimed to ‘contribute to reducing the impact of accidents in infants’.
In addition to learning how to avoid some of the dangers surrounding children, the meeting enabled parents to learn some basic techniques of first aid that should be applied in case of accident to prevent worsening the consequences and to contribute to a rapid recovery.
“The first minutes after the accident can be crucial and it is therefore important that when faced with an accident or emergency, parents be prepared to act calmly and with confidence”, explained the doctor.
At present, 92% of accidents in infants involve falls or blows, including traffic accidents. Also common, although much less so, are burns and poisoning, while choking, bites and stings represent only 1% of accidents in infants aged 0 to 3 years of age.
The development of this initiative is part of a series of educational actions promoted by the Hospiten Group to contribute to improving wellbeing in society. The aim is to repeat the talk at other children’s centers in the Canaries to make parents and carers more aware of the importance of prevention in questions of health.