{"id":16702,"date":"2025-12-23T09:35:53","date_gmt":"2025-12-23T14:35:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/?page_id=16702"},"modified":"2025-12-23T09:35:53","modified_gmt":"2025-12-23T14:35:53","slug":"crater-health-district-urges-families-to-prioritize-child-safety-during-the-holiday-season","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/public-relations-contacts\/archived-news-releases\/2025-regional-news-releases\/crater-health-district-urges-families-to-prioritize-child-safety-during-the-holiday-season\/","title":{"rendered":"Crater Health District Urges Families to Prioritize Child Safety  During the Holiday Season"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>December 22, 2025<\/p>\n<p><strong>Media Contact: Tara Rose, Tara.Rose@vdh.virginia.gov<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><strong>Crater Health District Urges Families to Prioritize Child Safety<\/strong><strong>\u00a0During the Holiday Season<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>PETERSBURG, Va.\u2013 Nothing ruins a holiday celebration more than a trip to the emergency department. As families gather for parties, travel and gift-giving, the Crater Health Department is reminding parents and caregivers to take extra precautions to keep kids safe and healthy this holiday season.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/data\/injury-violence\/injury-and-violence-hospitalizations\/\">Injuries<\/a> from toys, holiday decorating, and cooking, along with seasonal viruses, send children to the emergency room in greater numbers during the holiday season. Travel can also bring risks, such as car accidents.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs families gather and travel this season, it is important to take a moment to think about safety,\u201d said Crater District Health Director Dr. Alton Hart, Jr. \u201cA few simple precautions can prevent holiday injuries and protect our most vulnerable community members.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Families are encouraged to take these simple precautions to help keep celebrations safe and healthy.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Toys<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Prevent choking hazards. Keep small toys, button batteries, magnets and small parts away from young children.<\/li>\n<li>Choose age-appropriate gifts. Follow age labels on toys and avoid items with small pieces for children under 3.<\/li>\n<li>Make sure toys haven\u2019t been recalled. Check <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cpsc.gov\/Recalls\">Recalls &amp; Product Safety Warnings<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Avoid storing toys in chests with heavy lids where children can become trapped inside.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Holiday Decorating<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Avoid falls. Keep children off ladders and step stools.<\/li>\n<li>Keep breakable decorations, ornaments, lightbulbs and tinsel out of children\u2019s reach.<\/li>\n<li>Be aware that some holiday plants <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/environmental-health\/tag\/holiday\/\">are toxic to both humans and pets<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Holiday Cooking &amp; Entertaining<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Always supervise children in the kitchen.<\/li>\n<li>To avoid burns, cook on back burners and turn pot handles inward.<\/li>\n<li>Keep sharp knives and blades out of reach.<\/li>\n<li>Store alcohol safely. Keep an eye on drinks during parties and clean up promptly so kids don&#8217;t find drinks left behind.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Seasonal Illnesses<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Practice the \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/blog\/2025\/10\/14\/meet-the-little-things\/\">The Little Things<\/a>:\u201d\n<ul>\n<li>Washing hands,<\/li>\n<li>Covering coughs<\/li>\n<li>Getting get the flu vaccine.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Stay home when sick.<\/li>\n<li>Keep surfaces <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/hygiene\/about\/when-and-how-to-clean-and-disinfect-your-home.html\">clean<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Travel<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Make sure to use a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/child-passenger-safety\/\">car seat or booster seat<\/a> appropriate for your child\u2019s age<\/li>\n<li>Dress children in bright colors at airports so they\u2019re easy to find.<\/li>\n<li>Secure hotel hazards such as balcony doors and windows. Consider packing outlet covers and toilet seat locks.<\/li>\n<li>Always supervise children around water, including swimming pools.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>For more information, contact Crater Health District directly at 804-863-1652 or visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/crater\/\">Crater Health District<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"># # #<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>December 22, 2025 Media Contact: Tara Rose, Tara.Rose@vdh.virginia.gov \u00a0Crater Health District Urges Families to Prioritize Child Safety\u00a0During the Holiday Season PETERSBURG, Va.\u2013 Nothing ruins a holiday celebration more than a trip to the emergency department. As families gather for parties, travel and gift-giving, the Crater Health Department is reminding parents and caregivers to take extra [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":258,"featured_media":0,"parent":12292,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[819,372,1140,1408,1407,1405,1409,1406,1386],"class_list":["post-16702","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","tag-child-safety-program","tag-crater-health-district","tag-dr-alton-hart","tag-holiday-cooking-entertaining","tag-holiday-decorating","tag-recalls-product-safety-warnings","tag-seasonal-illnesses","tag-toys","tag-travel"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Crater Health District Urges Families to Prioritize Child Safety During the Holiday Season - Newsroom<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/public-relations-contacts\/archived-news-releases\/2025-regional-news-releases\/crater-health-district-urges-families-to-prioritize-child-safety-during-the-holiday-season\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Crater Health District Urges Families to Prioritize Child Safety During the Holiday Season - Newsroom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"December 22, 2025 Media Contact: Tara Rose, Tara.Rose@vdh.virginia.gov \u00a0Crater Health District Urges Families to Prioritize Child Safety\u00a0During the Holiday Season PETERSBURG, Va.\u2013 Nothing ruins a holiday celebration more than a trip to the emergency department. 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