3 in 10 parents claim 'school gate gossip' teaches them 'life saving lessons'

07 June 2023 , 08:13

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Parents are picking up home safety tips for their kids at the school gates (Image: Guido Mieth/Getty Images)

School gate chat isn't all gossip - with three in 10 parents claiming they learned ‘life saving’ lessons for their kids.

And the most commonly-shared piece of advice is to always keep small items such as batteries or coins clear of kids.

Around four in 10 shared this titbit, along with keeping front doors locked even when the house is full, to stop kids wandering out.

The study of 1,000 parents, with children up to 10-years-old, revealed 25% frequently action tips they have picked up from others in the same boat.

While 36% would favour the opinion of another parent on a product over anything they read online.

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The most commonly-shared item of advice is to always keep small items such as batteries or coins clear of kids. (© SWNS)

The research was commissioned by Duracell, as part of its #Take10 campaign, which encourages parents to take 10 minutes to check their homes are safe of lithium coin batteries.

Sarah Chapman, from the brand, said: “There’s no doubt there’s great value in what other parents have to say when it comes down to raising children safely.

“Parents with a real eye for safety within homes will be looking to pick up tips and advice from all sorts of places - this might be online, through social media, or in real life such as at the school gates or in conversation with other parents.”

The research found nearly a third (32%) of respondents have bought products to keep their children safe, based on advice from other parents.

And 24% reckon doing that has helped dodge a serious injury to their child, according to the OnePoll figures.

Parents are advised to make sweeping an important chore - to lessen chances of major injuries with their kids (Getty Images)

However, only 57% believe they actually spend enough time checking their home is fully as safe as it could be.

Of the children who have swallowed something they shouldn’t have, 70% ended up requiring medical attention.

Sarah Chapman, from Duracell, added: “Emergencies can happen in the blink of an eye and that can be taken quite literally - in a flash, a child can put something, like a battery, in their mouth and swallow it before you have time to react.

“No parent can be switched on 100% of the time to ensure this doesn’t happen, so prevention is always better than cure.

“Spending time sweeping houses to make sure there is nothing dangerous children can get hold of is really time well spent.”

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HOME SAFETY TIPS FOR PARENTS:

1. Always keep small items such as batteries and coins clear
2. Always keep your front door locked so children can't let themselves out
3. Don't let children play with anything plugged into the mains when out of sight
4. Don't let children play with anything with a long cable when out of sight
5. Specify a safe place to keep batteries that are out of harm's way

Sarah Lumley