Dr. M.J. Bazos, MD, Patient Handout
2 Year Old Anticipatory Guidance

• Use an age-appropriate car seat that is properly secured at all times.
• Ensure that the child wears a life vest if boating. Inflatable flotation devices or "knowing how to swim" do not make a child safe in the water. Ensure that swimming pools in the child's community, in his apartment complex, or at his home have a four-sided fence with a self-closing, self-latching gate. Children should be supervised by an adult whenever they are in or near water.
• Continue to put sunscreen on the child before he goes outside to play or swim. Sunscreens should be SPF-15(Sun Protection Factor-15) or higher and should be reapplied every hour the child is outside in the sun.
• Continue to keep the child's environment free of smoke. Keep the home and car nonsmoking zones.
• Test smoke detectors to ensure they work properly. Change batteries yearly.
• Keep cooking utensils, hot liquids, knives, and hot pots on the stove out of reach. Ensure that electric wires, outlets, and appliances are inaccessible or protected. Keep cigarettes, lighters, matches, alcohol, and electrical tools locked up and/or out of the child's sight and reach. Exclude poisons, medications, and toxic household products from the home or keep them in locked cabinets. Have safety caps on all medications. Keep Syrup of Ipecac in the home to be used as directed by the poison control center or the health professional. Keep the number of the poison control center near the telephone. Always call the poison control center prior to giving Ipecac.
• Guard against falls. Use locked doors or gates at the top and bottom of stairs and safety devices on windows. Supervise the child when he is on stairs.
• Ensure that guns, if in the home, are locked up and that ammunition is stored separately. A trigger lock is an additional important precaution.
• Teach the child to use caution when approaching dogs, especially if the dogs are unknown or eating.
• Never leave the child alone in the car, in the house or while taking a bath.
• Do not expect young children to supervise the two year old. Supervise all play near streets or driveways. Ensure that a child riding in a seat on a parent's bicycle is wearing a helmet.
• Ensure that playgrounds are safe. Check for impact- or energy-absorbing surfaces under playground equipment. Make sure that playground equipment is not over 90 cm tall and not made of pressure-treated wood.
• Choose caregivers carefully. Discuss with them their attitudes about and behavior in relation to discipline. Prohibit corporal punishment.