Safety for babies, toddlers and young people

Different NHS services can support you and your child in different ways.

Here is a simple guide to help you choose the best service for your child’s needs.

The West Yorkshire Healthier Together website also gives clear, simple advice which helps you decide when to care for your child at home, when to get advice, and when to get help straight away (For 0 to 5 year olds).

Pharmacy First: Minor illnesses and injuries

• Your local pharmacy can help with minor illnesses. You do not need a GP appointment.
• Visit your local pharmacy and ask for advice. The pharmacist will ask about symptoms and guide you to the best next step.
• Find your local pharmacy

GP practice

• Contact your GP practice for non‑urgent conditions.
• Find a GP practice

NHS 111

• If you’re unsure what to do, need urgent advice, or your GP practice is closed, call 111 or visit NHS 111 website
• NHS: When to use 111
• (Use the phone service for children under 5<.)

Walk‑in Centre (Shakespeare Medical Centre)

• Walk‑in centres are for urgent problems that don’t need A&E.
• Before attending, you should call NHS 111 or the centre for an initial assessment, and they will tell you when to come in.
• Call 0113 295 1132 (opening times: 8am to 8pm every day (including all bank holidays).
• To find out more visit Walk in Centres.

Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC)

• For urgent, non‑life‑threatening injuries and illnesses that need same‑day care.
• They are open every day from 8am to 11pm, including bank holidays.
• You can walk in without an appointment, but NHS Leeds recommends calling NHS 111 first so they can advise on the best place to go.
• For full details visit Urgent treatment centres

Emergency department or call 999

• Go to A&E or call 999 for serious or life‑threatening emergencies.
• Call 999 for:
  • choking
  • chest pain
  • blacking out / loss of consciousness
  • severe blood loss
  • severe difficulty breathing
  • serious injuries
  • if you’re not sure it’s an emergency, call 111 first.

Babies learn by moving, reaching, rolling and putting things in their mouths.

At this age, safety is mostly about supervision and creating a safe environment.

Some key safety areas for babies

Safe sleep

Follow Safe Sleep guidance for every sleep

Bathtime

Bath safety never leave baby, stay within arm’s reach

Choking risks

Keep items such as nappy sacks, small toys, coins, blind cords, button batteries away from babies

Burns and scalds

Keep hot drinks, radiators, kettles, iron cords out of reach.

Safe feeding

Never prop feed your baby and follow introducing solid foods safety advice.

Tummy time safety

Always supervise

Slings and carriers

Follow the T.I.C.K.S. safety guidance

Secure the home

Use stair gates, furniture fixed to walls, window locks

Laundry capsules and cleaning products

Keep these locked away take action today

Toddlers explore the world through movement.

Injuries often happen when they climb, reach, copy adults or put things in their mouths.

Some key safety areas for toddlers

Falls

Stair gates, clear floors, secure furniture

Water safety

Ponds, paddling pools, baths (never leave them)

Choking

Cut grapes, tomatoes lengthways, avoid whole nuts

Burns or scalds

Hot drinks, cooker fronts, irons, radiators.

Kitchen safety

Handles turned in, kettles placed back.

Blind cords

Always tied up out of reach.

Animal safety

Always supervise around pets.

Risks of swallowing harmful items

Medicines, batteries, magnets, cleaning products locked away.

Play safety

Age‑appropriate toys, no small parts.

Suffocation risks

Nappy sacks, plastic bags, pillows, bean bags.

Children start becoming more independent and spend more time playing away from adults.

Some key safety areas for school aged children

Road safety

Stop, look, and listen.

Scooters and bikes

Wear helmets.

Kitchen involvement

Safe supervised cooking.

Water safety

Swimming lessons, safe bathing.

Playground safety

Age‑appropriate equipment.

Online safety

Knowing trusted adults.

Home safety

Matches, lighters, radiators, chargers out of reach.

Teens gain independence and may take more risks.

Some key safety areas for young people

Online safety

Screens and social media.

Travel safety

Buses, roads, cycling.

Fire safety

Cooking, candles, chargers.

Mental health and sleep routines

Peer pressure

Decision‑making skills

Being home alone

Safe boundaries.

BBC Tiny Happy People

Read the BBC Tiny Happy People: Baby‑proofing your home webpage

Practical tips from a health visitor.

Leeds Safeguarding Children Partnership (LSCP)

Read the Leeds Safeguarding Children Partnership: Blind cord safety webpage

Explains the serious risks posed by window blind cords and chains.

It offers practical steps to keep children safe including:

• keeping cords out of reach
• removing loops
• moving furniture away from windows
• securing cords with safety devices
• choosing cordless blinds where possible.

The page also links to further guidance and translated safety videos.

The Child Accident Prevention Trust

Read the The Child Accident Prevention Trust: Button battery safety webpage

Explains why button batteries can be extremely dangerous if swallowed and how to keep children safe. Their page includes clear guidance on:

• spotting the risks,
• storing batteries safely
• choosing safer products
• what to do immediately if you think a child has swallowed a battery

Good Egg Car Safety

Visit the Good Egg Car Safety webpage

Provides trusted, independent advice to help families choose, fit and use car seats safely from birth through to older childhood.

Their website offers

• step‑by‑step fitting guides
• checking tools
• common mistakes to avoid
• expert videos to help keep babies and children safe when travelling in the car.

Child Accident Prevention Trust

The Choking Prevention (CAPT) website provides practical, trusted advice on how to prevent choking in babies and young children. Their guidance explains which foods pose the greatest risk, how to cut food safely, what small household items to avoid, and key steps such as staying with children while they eat and encouraging them to sit still.

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue (Safe and well visits): Free home‑safety visits offering personalised advice and smoke alarm checks.

National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children

Read the NSPCC: Keeping children safe online webpage.

Advice to help parents and carers keep children safe online.

Their guidance includes information on

• apps
• games
• parental controls
• screen time
• online bullying
• grooming
• sharing images
• AI
• how to talk to children about staying safe.

They also share practical steps for setting up devices safely and supporting online wellbeing.

UK Safer Internet Centre: Parents and carers offers practical tips, guides and resources to help parents and carers keep children safe online. Their advice covers phones, tablets, laptops, smart speakers, consoles and social media, along with conversation starters, reporting guidance, screen‑time support and advice on online risks such as cyberbullying.

Young Minds

Visit the YoungMinds website

Easy‑to‑understand guidance to help parents talk to their child about social media, online pressures and staying safe online.

National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children

Visit the NSPCC: PANTS (The underwear rule) webpage.

Helps parents teach children that their body belongs to them, and that they should speak up if anything makes them feel worried or unsafe. It offers simple, age‑appropriate messages to help children understand privacy, boundaries and consent, along with songs, videos and guides for parents and carers.

THINK: Road safety education resources provides free road‑safety resources for all ages, including lesson plans, films, games and educator guides. Materials are grouped for ages 3 to 6, 7 to 12 and 13 to 16, making it easy to support children and young people to become safer and more aware when travelling near roads.

0 to 19 public health integrated nursing service

Read more on our 0 to 19 staying safe page about domestic abuse, it explains how domestic abuse can affect babies, children, young people and parents, and where to get confidential help and support. It includes clear information on different types of abuse, how it can impact health and wellbeing, and details of local and national services you can contact if you are worried about your safety or someone else’s.

The Lullaby Trust

The The Lullaby Trust: Baby safety and safer sleep webpage provides research‑based advice on safer sleep, reducing the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), safe sleep products and sling safety.

Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA)

Visit RoSPA: Accidents to children

Explains the most common causes of serious injuries in young children and how to prevent them.

It includes clear information on falls, burns and scalds, poisoning, choking, suffocation, strangulation (including blind cords), drowning, glass injuries and kitchen hazards, as well as when and where accidents are most likely to happen.

Child Accident Prevention Trust (Capt)

Visit the Child Accident Prevention Trust (CAPT): Child Safety Advice webpage.

Offers practical, easy‑to‑follow safety advice on the main causes of accidents for babies, toddlers, children and young people.

West Yorkshire Healthier Together

The WY Healthier Together: Toy safety webpage advice on choosing safe toys and reducing choking risks.

Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA)

Visit the RoSPA’s: Accidents to children webpage.

Child Accident Prevention Trust

Visit the Child Accident Prevention Trust (CAPT): Child Safety Advice website