Winter is almost here and it’s time to keep warm. But, when heating homes, making warm winter foods and drinks and generally arming your family against Jack Frost, don’t forget that safety, as well as warmth is important.

Winter is a peak time for burns to children, particularly young children. Three quarters of all children admitted to our hospitals with burns are preschoolers – and many of these children are scalded by hot drinks and hot foods.

Keeping children safe from burns can be as simple as ensuring that you and other adults never drink hot drinks while nursing babies, or while children are on your lap.

You can also take other simple steps:

Move the kettle out of children’s reach and ensure kettle cords are “hooked” away from reach using inexpensive hooks. 

Turn pot handles towards the back of the stove and cook on the rear elements first. 

Run cold water into the bath before the hot water and always supervise young children while they bath or shower. 

Fill hot water bottles only with hot water from the tap – not boiling water. If you use these in your baby’s cot or child’s bed, take it out before your child goes to bed. 

Buy children’s pyjamas that are labelled ‘fire resistant’ but always ensure children sit well away from heaters or fires.

Use fireguards around open or inbuilt fires and heater guards around electric, gas or oil heaters.

Never leave candles burning in children’s bedrooms, and if you use them in other areas, always extinguish them before leaving the room.

And, ensure you have working smoke alarms in your home. You can test your alarms regularly and it’s a good idea to vacuum them to ensure you get rid of any dust build up. In a fire these alarms may mean the difference between your family getting out safety or a tragedy happening.