Special Needs Kids and Holidays

Parents of children with special needs know that they need to take precautions to help keep their children safe during the holidays. If you are not sure how to keep your special needs child safe, the following tips will help you.

• Avoid artificial trees. While a real tree does have wood that can splinter, artificial trees are much more dangerous with the metal inside of their construction. A real tree has more give in the branches. A special needs child who may be clumsy will only bend those branches, not be stabbed by them. Needles from a real tree are also digestible, while plastic needles are not. It is still recommended to discourage your child from eating or chewing on the needles.
• Use only plastic or paper decorations for the tree. We all know the hazards of glass ornaments. With children who have special needs, the temptation to grab the ornaments may not decrease with age.
• Try to put the lights of your tree close to the trunk of the tree. Lights are hazardous due to their glass construction and can be avoided in the case of an extremely curious child. Many children who have special needs enjoy lights, so if you do use a string of lights n your tree, keep a close eye on your child. Repeat yourself as many times as you need to teach your child to not touch the lights.

• If your special needs child is on a restricted diet, try to avoid eating many treats in front of them.
• Make vegetables and fruit the main snack or treats for your special needs child. Many can become obsessed with certain foods and sugar is one food you do not want them to be hooked on.
• If your child needs a special diet, let your family and friends know well ahead of family get-togethers.

• Check your door locks often. Install chain locks at the top of your doors to the outside and keep the chain short enough to prevent the door from opening wide enough for a small child to slip outside. This time of year, we all become distracted and it is the perfect opportunity for your mobile special needs child to sneak outside.
• One of the number one hazards to children, special needs or not, is the danger of heat injuries. Keep your child away from any appliance that can burn them all winter.