Five tips for safety at home during holidays

The holidays are a time to share joy with our friends, families and communities. They are also a time of great hustle and bustle with millions of us converging upon malls, salons and boutiques. The excitements experienced during the holidays are second only to the great memories we create.

Family activities, such as cooking and decorating, are traditions that are generations strong. As families pass these customs to their newest members, there are some simple ways to keep everyone safe, ensuring the best memories are made each holiday season. From 2007 to 2010, holiday-related injuries treated in emergency rooms increased 30 percent, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. In fact, according to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, 17 children go to the ER for unintended injuries every minute.

The Tender Corporation has five tips for safety at home during the holidays:

Organize the space and things you will need (food and decorations) before beginning any project to cut down on spilling and stacking things dangerously.

Prep all the items you will be using. Check for decorations that can be choking hazards, wear or breaks on lights and cooking hazards, such as knives. Dangerous items should be separated from the area in which children will be playing.

First Aid area should be designated. Make sure first aid is readily accessible, such as a pack of Easy Access Bandages™ for minor cuts and a medical kit designed for the home, such as Easy Care™ First Aid. If you are cooking, After Burn™ instantly relieves minor burn pains.

Have a game-plan for the project and involve everyone. Make sure the kids are involved in plan decisions. Explain all the steps and dangerous items they are not to use, such as the stove and glue guns.

Work together on parts of projects that could present danger, such as whisking in a heavy bowl or working with scissors. Keep an eye out; ask what each child is doing and how they are doing. Follow up your questions with positive feedback whether or not children need correcting.

If a problem arises, having first aid right on hand is crucial. Easy Access Bandages™ and Easy Care™ First Aid kits are the fastest, most efficient way to treat injuries at home. This means you get back to having fun faster. The Easy Access Bandages™ pack, which fits in your pocket, unfolds into a fan of bandages. Pulling gently on the top of the wrapper easily releases a sterile bandage that is ready to be applied with one hand.

The Easy Access Bandages™ package at Walmart features 30 fabric bandages and sells for only $2.97. Each box contains two portable packs of 15 bandages that can be conveniently tucked in your pocket, handbag, briefcase, or first aid kit for quick and easy retrieval. The bandages are latex free and 1 inch by 3 inches in size.