Keeping a baby or child safe when you are outside the home

Here are some suggestions about how to consider the risks to a baby or child, if you had a seizure outside your home. There are also ideas for ways to reduce these risks.

Prams and pushchairs

There is no particular type of pram or pushchair that is recommended for use by people with epilepsy. When choosing one, you may find it helpful to consider the following.

• If you could fall and push the pram or pushchair over during a seizure, you could choose one which has a lot of padding to protect a child. Alternatively, for a baby, you could use a pram which you can attach their car seat to. This would also provide protection from a fall.
• If you might let go of the pram or pushchair handle during a seizure, you could buy a safety brake. The brake automatically comes on when the handle is released. Epilepsy Action can provide details of companies that provide safety brakes for prams.
• If your seizures could cause you to be confused or wander away from the pram or pushchair, you could tie a label to the handle with some emergency contact telephone numbers.

Child carriers and baby slings   

A child might not be safe if you had a seizure while carrying them in a child carrier or baby sling. Before deciding whether or not to use one of these, you could ask yourself the following questions.

• Do your seizures cause you to fall in a way that could cause a baby or child to be hurt if you were holding them in a sling or carrier?
• If you get an aura or warning before a seizure associated with reduced or loss of awareness or consciousness, would you have enough time to remove the carrier or sling and put the baby in a safe place?
• You may also find it helpful to ask your own health visitor for advice.

Child reins, harnesses and wrist straps

Child reins, harnesses and wrist straps keep a child close to you when you are out and about. If you have seizures that affect your consciousness or cause you to fall, here are some things to consider when using these.

• Wrist straps are attached to your wrist and a child’s wrist. If you had a seizure a child would remain attached to you. If you fell during a seizure, you could pull a child to the ground too. However, this would be safer than the risk of a child running away.
• Child reins and harnesses fasten to a child’s body and you hold the end. If you had a seizure, it would be easy to let go of this and a child could run away. It might be safer to use a wrist strap.

Keeping a baby and child safe in open spaces   

If you have seizures, you may feel more confident about taking a child out on a trip on your own, if you carefully plan it before you go. Here are some questions you might want to ask.

• What hazards are there? For example ponds, streams, swimming pools, rivers, steep steps, roads and railway lines.
• What safety measures are there in the area, to protect a child from danger if you had a seizure? For example, trained lifeguards and fences around water features, door staff, gates and security systems in play areas.    
• Would it be safer to visit this area with another adult?
• Does the child understand the danger of different hazards and would they stay away from them if you had a seizure?

If you are worried that a child might wander off and get lost if you had a seizure, here are some suggestions to reduce the risks.

• Tell a child about a specific place to go if you lose each other, for example a park warden’s office or an ice cream stall. 
• Give a child an identity bracelet to wear, which contains your name, address and telephone number.
• Use an electronic system such as a Boardbug. This will sound an alarm to help you locate a child, if they wander beyond a certain distance from you.

You can find more information about Boardbugs through internet search engines.

Changing facilities

Public baby changing facilities often leave little choice but to change a baby on a baby-changing table. If you had a seizure when using one of these, you could knock a baby off the table or be unable to stop them from rolling off the table and falling onto the floor.

• To increase safety, consider buying a harnessed baby-changing mat. These portable changing mats allow you to harness the baby on to the mat, so they would not be able to fall off. For information about suppliers of harnessed baby-changing mats, contact the Disabled Living Foundation: tel 0845 130 9177 (UK only); www.dlf.org.uk

Getting home after a seizure

• After a seizure, you may be too confused to get yourself and a child home safely. It may help to carry an ID card. On your ID card you could put your name, address and the number of children with you. You could also put the telephone number of a relative or a taxi firm who may be able to take you home.  Identity cards are available from Epilepsy Action, free of charge.
• As soon as a child is old enough, teaching them how to use a mobile phone would enable them to phone for help from one of your family or friends. Many phones have a speed dial facility, which will make this easier for a child.