TORONTO – The death of 3-year-old Elijah Marsh, who died after being found in a Toronto snowbank Thursday morning, has triggered an outpouring of grief. The tragic death has many wondering how the small boy managed to wander out of his grandmother’s apartment in the middle of the night in just a shirt, diaper and pair of boots.
Nancy Reynolds, owner of Baby Secure, has been helping parents keep their kids safe for almost 30 years. Based in Montreal, Reynolds says people still tend to not believe everyday accidents can lead to tragedy.
“Most people think they should not have to invest in safety,” says Reynolds. “Most people think it’s not going to happen to them, you know it just happens to somebody else.”
Reynolds is an Advanced Certified Professional Childproofer and member of The International Association for Child Safety. Over the years she and her colleagues have seen house fires caused by low stove handles, and deaths from children falling out of second-floor windows.
“It’s hard, it’s hard,” she says of seeing children injured or killed in preventable circumstances. “We’re accused of being over-protective, but most people don’t realize that injury is the leading reason why we lose children.”
She says gates are the top item parents seek, but she encourages multiple lines of defense for protecting your children, with safety tools tailored to each child.
Get weekly health news
“Some children are not good at opening gates and some are, as early as two years of age.”
If you have a front door with a foyer, Reynolds recommends putting latches on both doors.
READ MORE: Naked toddler found wandering alone outside in Etobicoke
“There are various door locks, there’s one called the Door Guardian… it’s sort of fine motor, it’s a little bit more complicated for little people to try and open, should they try and climb.”
She says most child-proofing and safety devices are reasonably priced.
“And they’re not only something that helps children from escaping, they’re a security item for the household.”
Parachute is a national charitable organization dedicated to stopping preventable injuries. Its website states that preventable injuries kill more Canadian children than any single disease, and one child dies every nine hours due to preventable injuries.
WATCH BELOW: Parachute Canada’s “Stop the Clock” on preventable injuries campaign
- Osoyoos Band seeks return of sacred sites in discussions with B.C. government
- Record turnout expected for Penticton Peach Classic Triathlon, boosting local economy
- Mom and 1-month-old baby missing in northern B.C., not seen since July 9
- Hoekstra says Trump serious about tariff threat over wildfire smoke
The organization offers a free online introduction to a child injury prevention course.
The Public Health Agency of Canada lists injuries as the leading cause of death for Canadians between the ages of 1 and 44. The agency states that many non-fatal injuries result in impairments and disabilities such as blindness, spinal cord injury and intellectual deficit due to brain injury.
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of injury-related death in children and youth, followed by drowning and suffocation. Falls send the most children and youth to the hospital with injuries.
Reynolds warns against improper installation of safety devices and says choosing the proper safety precautions for your family starts with “knowing the little person involved.”
“It’s not just a case of supervising them.” She says many injuries happen when parents are nearby or right in the room.
Often when children are injured “they did something the parent didn’t anticipate. So it really helps that parents learn what are the safety hazards, and then actually do something to build these layers of safety and not rely on “it’s not going to happen to me.””
Comments
Want to discuss? Please read our Commenting Policy first.