As the festive season approaches, families across Bluffton, South Carolina, are gearing up for celebrations filled with joy, especially for children. However, amidst the excitement of toys, food, and decorations, certain holiday hazards often lurk unnoticed.

Alexis Riccone, a knowledgeable family nurse practitioner with Novant Health, highlights some of the more common and surprising safety concerns that arise during this time of year.

“One of the main issues we encounter involves batteries,” Riccone explains. “Particularly, the small triple-A or button batteries found in many children’s toys pose significant risks. It’s not uncommon for these to be swallowed by children. If a battery becomes lodged in the throat, an X-ray can help us determine its location. Even if it passes into the stomach, there’s still a danger as these batteries are corrosive and can cause serious internal damage.”

Riccone also emphasizes the importance of monitoring Christmas tree decorations closely. “Ornaments can easily fall from the tree, or curious young children might reach up and grab them,” she warns. “These small objects can end up in a child’s mouth, potentially leading to cuts or piercings in the throat. It’s crucial to keep any decorations out of reach or secure them higher on the tree to prevent such incidents.”

With a little extra vigilance, families can ensure that the holiday season remains joyful and safe for everyone. Riccone’s advice serves as a valuable reminder to consider potential dangers and take steps to mitigate them, ensuring a festive and accident-free celebration.

Parents can try different ways to protect that tree even when their eyes aren’t on it.

“I have seen that people are now putting like fences or gates up around the tree. That’s actually a great idea because it will help deter the grabbing and getting anything off the tree,” Riccone said.

Toys are always fun over the holidays, but they bring their own set of challenges.

“Make sure that the toys meet their age range and are appropriate for their age,” said Riccone. “Because often they will be made so that batteries don’t fall out if they if they are for a younger child. If companies know a three-year-old is going to be playing with the toy, they make them a little more secure.”

But there may be other things you hadn’t thought of that can lead to a trip to the doctor.

“Hair bows,” said Riccone. “They seem very innocent now. They could go down their throat. But those can be passed easily. One thing that we’ve seen is either of them getting caught in hair or they were getting tied onto the children’s toes or fingers. It acts as almost as a tourniquet and can cut off circulation. And they usually won’t let you know until it gets pretty significant.”

And when you open up a gift through the mail, make sure to throw away the trash.

“Children love the packaging that comes with anything from Amazon orders and Christmas packages,” said Riccone. “They often will put this on their head. It seems like a game and a toy, but unfortunately it can cause asphyxiation or can suffocate them. It’s very dangerous. So, I always tell people, cut them and throw them away immediately.”

Packing peanuts are also something to keep a close eye on.

“Those can be dangerous, especially for an infant,” said Riccone. “It seems soft, so it’s not really a risk of it cutting or lacerating the throat, but it could definitely obstruct if it got down far enough. It’s not something you could finger sweep out. You wouldn’t be able to necessarily see it right away in the throat and so you might not quite understand what had happened.”

Holiday foods are great, especially the sweets. But make sure small kids don’t eat treats that are too big for their mouths.

“So age-appropriate candies. They may seem soft, it’s not going to necessarily harm them, but it could get stuck in their esophagus,” said Riccone. “Especially if an infant or toddler it would obstruct that airway and would have to be removed. Peanut M and M’s or another one. The chocolate will dissolve, but the peanut would not. So also, being sure that they don’t have an allergy to peanuts.”

The biggest issue during the holidays is kids putting things in their mouths they shouldn’t.

“So we saw a lot of what we would call like accidental poisonings. Whether that was from medications or cleaners,” said Riccone. “So having locks on your cabinets, to keep young toddlers out. We even lock the toilets now just so them can’t crawl in and accidentally be submerged.”

It can take just a few moments to lead to a very dangerous situation in the kitchen, or right on the edge of a table.

“We’ve seen kids take those stools and go up to a stove and pour a hot pot or grab a hot kettle off,” said Riccone. “It spills hot grease, or oil can spill on them, burning them. Especially if you’re frying something or making it for dinner. We’ve also seen hot coffee, hot chocolate burn kids. You sit your mug on the coffee table a toddler comes up to the coffee table, pulls them up, and they can get significant burns where they require care or have to end up at the burn center.”

Riccone added, “We also recommend protecting against accidental consumption of alcohol. We recommend all glasses being up on countertops or up on the mantles or further up on bookshelves or wherever you can store them.”