Holiday Safety Tips

The Florida Department of Health wishes you and your family a safe, fun and joyful holiday season at home on the road and everywhere in between. As the SafeKids Coalition coordinators for Volusia/Flagler Counties, we'd like to share their quick tips for a safer season:

• Whether in the car or an airplane, make sure every child has the right car seat and is buckled in for every ride.  
• Turn pot handles in, keep hot drinks out of reach, and keep children away from stoves, ovens, and slow cookers.  
• Keep small foods like nuts, grapes, and candies away from toddlers. Cut food into safe sizes and supervise young children while they eat.  
• Pick age-appropriate toys and keep magnets and button batteries out of reach.  
• In unfamiliar spaces, do a quick scan to ensure medicines, cleaners, firearms, and small objects are up and out of reach.  
• Keep candles, cords, and decorations out of kids reach, and check lights for damaged wires.  
• Babies sleep safest on their backs, in their own sleep space, on a firm flat surface with no pillows, blankets or toys.  
• Lithium-ion batteries are used in products like toys, e-scooters, e-bikes, smart phones and computers, and can potentially cause fires. Buy only lab-tested products, charge devices according to instructions, and recycle responsibly.