The workshops will teach parents how to prevent common accidents at home such as choking, burns, falls, cuts, poisoning, electrocution and others.

Baby steps to ensure baby’s safety

A 2-and-half-year-old baby boy suffered a brain damage after he swallowed the seed of a litchi that he was eating and the parents failed to take him to a doctor on time. The seed choked the child and reduced oxygen supply to the brain which led to the brain damage. Dr Rashid Merchant, consulting paediatrician at Nanavati Hospital, who is treating the child, said incidents of child choking after swallowing coin, fruit seeds, round toys etc. are very common but can be easily prevented if parents take a little care. Dr Merchant has joined hands with Kidville and Safe Baby in holding awareness workshops for parents in the city on how and what should be done to keep children safe from incidents like this. Shalini Agarwal, CEO of Safe Baby, said: “These workshops have been especially designed for parents with young children. The workshops will teach parents how to prevent common accidents at home such as choking, burns, falls, cuts, poisoning, electrocution and others. It will also teach them the correct first-aid measure in case an accident does happen.” Ambreen Das, a resident of Worli who attended the first workshop at Kidsville on Sunday, said: “I am a mother of two boys aged seven and two. This workshop was very informative. I have come across several of the things that were mentioned in the workshop, like my son had had a fall and cut his lips. We didn’t know how to stop the bleeding and rushed him to a doctor who administered seven stitches on him.” Das was one of the 40 parents who attended the workshop. Talking about the mistakes that parents often make after seeing their children in distress, Shalini said, “When a child is coughing because he has swallowed something, parents’ immediate reaction is to give water to drink or pat his head. This could lead to further choking. He needs immediate doctor care. If he is above one year, give CPR and then Heimlich manoeuvre.” Dr Merchant said, “Many a times, we get parents with small kids who have got cuts in their bodies. They put turmeric powder or some home remedy to stop bleeding. This is wrong. It delays the treatment procedure as we have to spend time in cleaning the wound to gauge the cut depth. Instead, pressing the wound with a clean cloth can help. These are small things that parents need to know.”