Dr. M.J. Bazos, MD, Patient Handout
3 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.
• Put sunscreen on the child before he goes outside to play or swim. Sunscreens should be at least an SPF (Sun Protection Factor) of 15 and should be reapplied every hour while out in the sun.
• Keep the child's environment free of smoke. Keep the home and car nonsmoking zones. Test smoke detectors to ensure that 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 or inducing vomiting.
• Ensure that guns, if in the home, are locked up and that ammunition is stored separately. A trigger lock is an additional important precaution. Consider a gun safe for firearms.
• Never leave the child alone in the car or the house or while taking a bath. Do not expect young children to supervise the three year old. Supervise all play near streets or driveways. Know where your child is at all times. He is too young to be roaming the neighborhood alone. Teach your child pedestrian safety skills.
• Ensure that a child riding in a seat on an adult'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.
• Teach the child not to talk to strangers.