Family Lifestyle Report

The parents play a crucial role in ensuring the children grow in a safe and conducive environment. Apart from inculcating good morals on the children, they should pursue practices which do not affect the health of the children. The children should not be exposed to cigarette smoking because it can affect their health and development (Morrongiello & Bell, 2014). The family in this study, has created a suitable healthy environment for the children, however, there is need for awareness about things that can jeopardize their safety.

According to the questionnaire, the parents are against smoking and that has ensured the children are least exposed to the smoke. Both parents are completely against the habit. However, the eldest son smokes while in the house.

The family should implement a policy of no smoking while inside the house. Even though the father is against smoking, he is not aware of the many dangerous health effects of the habit. Statistics show that approximately, 3000 people succumb to lung cancer that resulted from smoking. Smoking has also caused other hundreds of thousands to die through heart diseases annually (Green & Lumby, 2011). Secondhand smoking is detrimental to a child’s lungs because they are still developing. The smoke contains over 4000 chemicals which can cause cancer and therefore, anytime a child breathes the smoke it exposes them to such illnesses. Pregnant mothers should completely stay away from smoking or any form of secondhand smoke. Smoking can lead to a miscarriage, premature birth, cognitive disability on the child, and low birth weight.

Even though the family in this case study does not support smoking they are not aware of the many negative impacts on a child’s health. The secondhand smoke can cause ear infection, tooth decay, respiratory problems such as pneumonia, bronchitis, cough and colds (Kohli, 2011). Other effects of the secondhand smoke among the children are sore throat, eye irritation, headache, and a stuffy nose.
It is crucial to ensure the children are protected from any form of smoke. The children should be prevented from going to places which are not smoke-free (Kendrick et al., 2013). Since their home is the only place they should not be restricted, no one should be allowed to smoke in its sorroundings.

Home safety
Children especially those less than five years, tend to play everywhere at home and experiment with almost everything without thinking of the potential risks involved. Home safety involves creating a safe environment and teaching a child on the things that can cause harm. Such safety measures can protect a child from injuries such as poisoning, drowning, burns and scalds, suffocation and falls (Pearson & Anderson, 2010). Therefore, the parents should ensure that any dangerous item is out of reach of the children.

The family in the case study has a playground where the children can play and recreational facilities such as the swimming pool. Such facilities assist the children in bonding and enhancing their social life which is important for development. The compound is covered in the grass instead of concrete to ensure the child does not get severe injuries in case they fall. Children love running while playing and as a result, their chances of falling is high. However, there is a need to ensure the swimming pool is well fenced to prevent accidental drowning.

Additionally, even if a home can be friendly, there is still a potential for children harming themselves. Therefore, it is important to teach the child to be alert about the potential dangers they might be exposed to. It is crucial to adjust the homestead as the child grows (Smithson & Pearson, 2011). For instance, as the child starts to crawl, the family ought to install safety guards across the entries to the stairs and balconies. When the child starts to climb the windows upper store ought to be locked or have window guards. The hallways in the house should have light to avoid the older children from tumbling down as they move around at night. The pool fence should be installed and also have a self-locking gate that meets the Australian standards AS 1926. Children below the age of five should not be left unsupervised in the bath.

A child should be protected while traveling in a car. Their small bodies make them susceptible to injuries due to a slight change in speed of direction. Additionally, they are unpredictable and can move in any direction (Winokur & Batchelder, 2014). The family in the case study ought to ensure all safety precautions are followed strictly. A child should not be allowed to sit on the lap of the driver, because they can interfere with the concentration of the driver or tamper with the driving, hence, cause an accident. It is always important to use booster seats for the children and they should sit in the back. The safety belt should be well fitted and not twisted.

The family in the case study has implemented a safety measure to ensure the children are safe from the dangers of tampering with washing product and medicine. The products should be out of reach of the children. Additionally, they should be well labeled to prevent older children from mistaking the products and causing poisoning.

Burns and house fires are another potential threat to the safety of a child. The family in the questionnaire has an effective strategy of avowing burns and house fires. It is crucial to ensure the matches, lighters, and gasoline are kept in a safe place in the kitchen and that there is a fire extinguisher that is accessible in case of a fire (Smithson & Pearson, 2011).

Food safety for children
The immune system of children below the age of five is still developing and therefore, they are prone to contracting foodborne illnesses (Morrongiello & Zdzieborski, 2014). The acid produces to kill the bacteria is low compared to the adults. it can be very dangerous to a child’s health. Therefore, when selecting foodstuff in a supermarket, one to ensure that they are fresh and healthy.

Once in the kitchen, put the right foodstuff in a refrigerator. When preparing food, it is important to wash your hands. Also wash your hands after preparing raw meat, fish, and eggs. Once the cooking is over, the dishes ought to be washed with plenty of water. The dish towel should be washed with hot water.

Children at home are usually exposed to a lot of dangers and therefore, it is the responsibility of the parents to ensure they are safe. Apart from creating an environment that is free from danger, they ought to train the child on how to avoid being harmed. The harm can occur though house burns, falls, poisoning through home medicines, washing chemicals, and when traveling in the car.

References
Green, L., Brady, D., Olafsson, K., Hartley, J., & Lumby, C. (2011). Risks and safety for Australian children on the internet: Full findings from the AU Kids Online survey of 9-16 year olds and their parents.
Kendrick, D., Young, B., Mason‐Jones, A. J., Ilyas, N., Achana, F. A., Cooper, N. J., … & Mulvaney, C. (2013). Home safety education and provision of safety equipment for injury prevention. Evidence‐based child health: a Cochrane review journal, 8(3), 761-939.
Kohli, R. K. (2011). Working to ensure safety, belonging and success for unaccompanied Asylum‐seeking children. Child Abuse Review, 20(5), 311-323.
Morrongiello, B. A., McArthur, B. A., & Bell, M. (2014). Managing children’s risk of injury in the home: Does parental teaching about home safety reduce young children’s hazard interactions?. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 71, 194-200.
Morrongiello, B. A., Widdifield, R., Munroe, K., & Zdzieborski, D. (2014). Parents teaching young children home safety rules: implications for childhood injury risk. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 35(3), 254-261.
Pearson, M., Garside, R., Moxham, T., & Anderson, R. (2010). Preventing unintentional injuries to children in the home: a systematic review of the effectiveness of programmes supplying and/or installing home safety equipment. Health promotion international, 26(3), 376-392.
Smithson, J., Garside, R., & Pearson, M. (2011). Barriers to, and facilitators of, the prevention of unintentional injury in children in the home: a systematic review and synthesis of qualitative research. Injury Prevention, 17(2), 119-126.
Winokur, M., Holtan, A., & Batchelder, K. E. (2014). Kinship care for the safety, permanency, and well‐being of children rem