Accidents are ‘nothing to worry about’ claim lax dads

With more than 100,000 children admitted to hospital following an accident in the home, it’s important that both mums and dads are doing their bit to keep the home safe for their children.

A survey of nearly 2,000 UK parents with children aged under five, found that though 88 per cent of fathers took action to prevent accidents in the home, a staggering 12 per cent did nothing at all.

Of those dads who took no measures to protect their children, 70 per cent said it was because they thought accidents were ‘nothing to worry about’.

More than half put the onus on the mother to child proof the house and 9 per cent didn’t even know what to do to make the house safe.

The shocking lax dad findings from the Child Accident Prevention Trust also found that there were dads who went to lengths to make the house safe for their children.

Steps that dads took included putting medicine out of sight and reach, always being present when young children were in the bath and vitally, fitting safety gates and smoke detectors.

From March this year, a new ‘Guide For Dads’ will be included with the Bounty Pack for the first time with guidance on home safety.

Chief executive of CAPT, the UK’s leading charity working to reduce the number of children and young people killed, disabled or seriously injured in accidents, Katrina Phillips said:  “Bumps and scrapes are inevitable, but it’s serious accidents we need to prevent. In 2007 we ran a similar survey which found that new fathers needed to brush up on child safety. So it’s great news that in just three years, so many modern dads are now active accident busters. For dads who want to know more, CAPT has a dedicated tips and advice page so dads can make informed decisions about safety.”

Any parent looking for advice on ensuring their home is safe for their child should visit:

www.capt.org.uk/parents