The thread that could save a life

[SlightlyJaded]

So I was really shocked at the terrible camping tragedy a few weeks ago where people died from carbon monoxide poisoning from the fumes given off by a disposable barbecue. It was a horribly sad but really shocking for me because I didn't know:

Disposable bbq's gave off carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide 'sinks' so you are most at danger at floor level
Tents do not offer enough ventilation to prevent it.



Then the other day a fireman told me that one of the biggest causes of fires these days are phone/laptop chargers plugged in but not connected to a device. I had no idea.

And when I did a first aid course when PFB DD1 was born, the St John Ambulance woman told me that if she had her way, balloons would be outlawed until children were around 8-10. Smaller children try to blow them up, they don't have the lungs for it and the balloon suddenly pings into the mouth/back of throat and no 'upside down/back banging/heimlich maneuver is ever going to shift them'. She said that the 999 emergency services operators always feel their hearts sink when someone calls up in a panic because a child has swallowed a balloon because it so often has a grim outcome.

My DC think I'm a bit mad about balloons now. But hey ho.

Please share more 'hidden dangers' that we might not all be aware of. Not to give us all the horrors but seriously, I wouldn't have thought twice about the disposable barbeque and it's really made me wonder if I am doing anything else stupid/dangerous.

[nosleepwithworry]

HELMETS please please please please people, put helmets on your kids when on push bikes...even if its just up the road to the shop, or around the corner...proper fitting helmets will save a life, will preserve a life because persistant vegatitive state is forever and ever and is like a slow tortureous death for all involved.
However, catastrophic head injury provide organ donors......Just helmets please.

[milk]

Thank you for this info :) I had no idea about balloons

[StealthPolarBear]

im sure you all know, but grapes, perfect size and shape for a child's throat

[mistressploppy]

God, I always leave phone chargers plugged in . Thanks for posting this

[StealthPolarBear]

and yes i was shocked to learn that about barbecues

[Sirzy]

Inflatables in the sea, this weekends shocking news will hopefully make people think twice before using them.


Also, I would urge all parents of young babies to make sure they are aware of the symptoms of bronchiolitis. As it effects so many on some level I dont understand why more isn't done to make sure parents know what to look for.

[BertieBotts]

The chargers thing - is that really true?? I thought the circuit was broken when nothing was plugged in and hence no charge is coming through the device.

[cocolepew]

I always leave my charger in Thanks for the warning

[debka]

Bloody hell, had no idea about the balloons or the chargers.

I'll be getting DD a helmet asap too...

[Flisspaps]

BertieBotts I thought that too

[SlightlyJaded]

It was a fireman who told me about the chargers - a couple of days ago. So with absolutely no technical know-how whatsoever, I took it at face value

[Gigondas]

Dishwasher or laundry tablets - kids eating or squeezing themselves with them (they are caustic). On my first aid course nurse said had seen a lot of incidents with them.

Also garden trampolines are my Gp dads pet hate (does the walk in a and e clinics)- seen too many injuries incl spinal ones.

[lucky4]

BLIND CORDS...have heard of a few tragedys where kids got tangled in long cords and choked..I had blinds all over the house with ridiculous long cords so cut them all up short so if you have blinds CUT THE CORDS!!!

[Sirzy]

gigondas there is a display up in our peads a and e about trampoline safety, it is enough to put me off ever buying one for Ds!

[RandomNumbers]

wrt grapes make sure that they are cut lengthways not widthways

[CuppaTeaJanice]

Helium balloons - I know they give you a funny squeaky voice, but inhaling the amount of helium inside a 9 inch balloon is enough to kill an adult.

Ant powder - a tiny amount on a fingertip which makes it's way into a toddler's mouth can have tragic consequences.

[MiseryBusiness]

I had no idea about the balloons!

My friend is a fireman and he thinks plug in air fresheners are the work of the devil.

We have a trampoline in the garden, now I'm worried. Anyone care to elaborate?

[IAmBooybilee]

thank you for this thread.

someone posted last year (or maybe year before) a lik to what drowning actully looks like.

apparently most people think it is someone flailing about shouting for help and thrashing the water.

it isnt. it's silent and motionless. when someone is drowning they are beyond the point of asking for help.

i dont know if this is the same link but worth looking at if you aren't sure.

[TheRhubarb]

Trampolines can be caught by a sudden high gust and roll down the street.

That do you miseryguts?

[eosmum]

WRT balloons, the helium ones are lethal they spray a toxic glue mixture into the balloons before they put the gas in to make them stay up longer, and kids and adults never seem to be able to resist sucking in the helium. Two dangers, firstly the danger of the balloon going into the airway, and secondly the toxic glue fumes.

Have heard of two cases in the last couple of years where a toddler pulled the older fashioned heavier tvs on top of themselves and died, new tv tables are not made for old fashioned tvs.

[BertieBotts]

I want an actual firefighter/firefighter's DP to come and explain/confirm the chargers one now.

Plug-in air fresheners? DP has loads of them! I find them cloying and am always unplugging them.

[Rollmops]

Thankfully not quite (mostly) as tragic as the above, however, tics are nasty, nasty little suckers and must be watched out for.
My cousin was terribly unlucky and got both Lyme disease and encephalitis from these nasties. She was in intensive care for weeks and in hospital well over a year. It completely ruined her health.
She was in her early thirties; children could possibly fare much worse.
Check your DC after playing outside, tics like warm, moist places ie armpits, crotch etc. If you find one, the sooner its removed, the better.
Hate the things

[IAmBooybilee]

misery it can be due to the way your feet/ankles land on the trampoline (snapping ankes)or it can be due to jumping and getting your foot through the gap at the side or it can be due to being over ambitious with back flips or somersaults, having no safety net, hitting the bars at the side and so on.

[TheRhubarb]

Helium cannot kill you, it's the lack of oxygen that will. Apparently if you breathe in lots without taking a breath of air, then you are starving yourself of oxygen. Although what is most likely to happen is that you'll faint. And you have to breathe in quite a bit of helium without stopping in order to starve yourself of oxygen so much that you die.

[IAmBooybilee]

i've also heard that about air fresheners being a massive fire hazard.