Bursting with opportunities for a little explorer, the garden is where your toddler is often happiest. But they can be at risk just metres from your own back door.
We talk to Clive James, a St John's Ambulance trainer, about potential hazards and how parents and grandparents can ensure that children in their care stay safe.
Choking - gravel and stones
Irresistible to toddlers, but a clear choking hazard, some stones and bits of gravel will inevitably escape a carer's gaze.
If the object slips into the child's throat, there are two immediate risks. 'Swallowing the stone could cause abdominal discomfort and a potential blockage and you should take the child to hospital,' explains Clive James. 'Alternatively it could block the airways.'
'If the child is spluttering, you know they're still getting air; but if they're silent and going red in the face, they are not. In either case, lean the child forward and with the palm of your hand, issue five blows to the back, between the shoulder blades.
'If the object doesn't dislodge, stand behind them and with the fist of one hand placed just above the tummy button, thrust upwards and inward under their ribcage at least five times. Call an ambulance immediately if you don't succeed and continue your attempts.'
Poisoning - plants and gardening chemicals
Keep plant food and insecticides out of a toddler's reach, preferably in a locked shed, using organic, non-toxic brands as much as possible.
Plants such as daffodils, bluebells and fig leaves can act as skin irritants. But others, like asparagus fruit, lilly-of-the-valley and many berries are outright poisonous.
While plant poisoning is extremely rare, if a toddler suddenly becomes sick or vomits, keep a sample of the vomit for analysis and rush them to hospital.
'If it's clear they've eaten plant material or some gardening chemical, don't induce vomiting yourself since it can dangerously raise heart rate,' advises Clive James.
Controlling heart rate is vital since it slows the spread of any poison around a child's body. Try to keep the child calm and relaxed and get them to hospital for immediate treatment.
Barbecue within a walled off area that can be gated to keep curious hands well away.
If your toddler should reach up to grab a sizzling skewer, flood the burn with cold water for at least ten minutes.
Moderate-to-serious burns need hospital attention. 'Children can lose lots of fluid and go into shock from burns more easily than adults. Moderate-to-serious burns are also vulnerable to infection,' says Clive James.
Never place icepacks directly onto burns since ice can stick to skin and pull it off.
If a child or toddler is unconscious after you've shaken their shoulders, and shouted in an attempt to wake them, conduct cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for children.
St John's Ambulance provides these guidelines:
- Tilt head back: placing a palm on their forehead and a hand on their chin, gently tilt back the child's head to straighten the airway.
- Place your ear over their mouth for 10 seconds to check breathing. If breathing is absent or abnormal, call an ambulance.
- Five rescue breaths: Pinching the child's nose closed, place your mouth over the child's mouth and blow in until their chest rises. Give five breaths in short succession.
- 30 chest compresses: Place your hand on the child's breastbone, between their nipples, and push down a third of the depth of the chest (around 4-5cm). Repeat thirty times at the rate of around two chest compresses per second.
- Perform two more rescue breaths followed by 30 chest compressions, repeating the same cycle until help arrives or the child begins to breathe.
For further information on first aid and information on courses, visit the St John's Ambulance website.
Don't ever leave paddling pools unattended. Just 5cm of water - enough to cover a face - is sufficient to drown a toddler or baby.
If you find an unresponsive child in a pool, hold their head lower than their waist, allowing gravity to drain water out of the airways. If they're not breathing, you should then perform CPR.
Even if they are breathing and make an apparent recovery, take the child to hospital for immediate treatment.
'Water in the lungs can trigger mucous production to fill the lungs with fluid, causing secondary drowning,' says Clive James.
Toddlers have a radar for a sharp tool. Should they grab one in an off-guard moment, stay calm and grab their wrist tightly.
This prevents them from squeezing hard on the tool while you remove it. While most cuts are likely to be minor, with anything more serious, make it your priority to stem the bleeding.
'After cleaning the wound and applying a dressing, reduce blood loss by elevating the affected area and adding pressure through bandaging,' says Clive James.
There's no need for glass in a garden. Glass greenhouses and panels can be replaced with polycarbonate, a plastic material that's widely available and virtually indestructible.
If your toddler does for some reason cut themselves with glass, wash the wound but don't remove glass from it. 'Glass can plug a wound so removing it can make bleeding worse,' says Clive James.
He advises applying pressure to either side of the glass to reduce bleeding and getting it treated at hospital.
Wasp and bee stings leave swelling and pain that usually dies down within 10 minutes.
Reduce swelling by applying an icepack or cold flannel.
Care should be given to bee stings as the sting and its poison sac can be left piercing the skin surface. 'Flick it off gently using your fingernails or a credit card,' says Clive James.
'Don't use tweezers which can squeeze the poison sac to cause more pain and swelling.'
According to Allergy UK, less than 1 per cent of children suffer severe allergies to bee stings. If you notice any swelling to the throat and difficulty with breathing, call an ambulance.
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