Swings and climbing frames can rust, lose their bolts or break, so overhaul all outdoor play equipment at least once a year. Teach children to keep well clear when a swing is being used, as either the seat or a child's foot can deliver a very hard blow. Bicycles should also be regularly overhauled with particular attention being paid to the brakes. A child can easily be thrown over the handlebars if she tries to stop at speed when her back brakes aren't working.

 

If you take your child to a public playground, choose one in which the swings and slides are well maintained and set on grass or on a special, shock-absorbent surface. Ordinary tarmac or concrete is more dangerous if children fall on it. Supervise your child when she is climbing until she gains confidence, and try to encourage her to climb only as far as she knows she safely can.

It's wise to teach children how to use their common sense when playing. Lessons such as not pointing catapults, guns and bows and arrows at each other's faces have to be repeated time after time before they sink in. Make sure your child knows that she should never put a plastic bag over her head.

Buy the right safety equipment for sports and make sure that children are properly supervised. When it comes to bonfire night, don't let children light fireworks or investigate those which have been lit, but haven't gone off. Keep them well away from the bonfire and the area where fireworks are lit.

Older children who may play away from home must be warned never to play on railway embankments, on building sites, by canals or rivers, and on rubbish sites. Discarded fridges, ovens and car boots can easily form airtight traps which are impossible for a child to escape from.

 

Water safety

Never let young children play in or near water unsupervised, however shallow it may be. Many children have drowned in just a few inches of water before anyone realized what was happening. Teaching your children to swim is sensible, but never let children swim without some supervision. Rivers, canals and flooded quarries can be dangerous as they may be deep, weedy, or have fast currents. When you're by the sea, make sure you can always see your child when she is swimming without you. Inflatable toys, sunbeds and boats can easily be swept out to sea, so keep them on a line or go into the water with them. If your child likes fishing, teach her always to fish somewhere within sight of other people.

If you take your child in a boat, make sure there is a suitable life jacket for her. Small children may be safest if tied to part of the boat with a fine rope.

 

Holiday safety tips

 

- Check what immunizations are needed for the country you are visiting and get any necessary ones done in good time.

 

- Check that any equipment provided, such as a cot and highchair, is safe.

- Guard against sunburn and heatstroke.

- If you are going abroad, check whether the local water is safe to drink.

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