We've never really thought anything more of ceiling fans than the fact that they help cool the room down, and that they work better than standing fans, and are more environmentally friendly than air-conditioners.
However, what mummy Karen Xiao experienced may just be an eye-opener to how unsafe they can actually be.
Karen shared with us that while she was in the room with her 4-month-old daughter, her ceiling fan suddenly went out of control and two of its blades broke.
Thankfully, neither Karen nor her baby was hurt. Karen also states that if she had placed her baby on the bed, she's sure it would have totally been a much worse scenario.
You can read her Facebook post about the incident below:
According to Karen, the ceiling fan's speed was at its lowest and was left on for a few hours when the incident took place.
The fan first started shaking, the one blade hit the ceiling fan and broke.
In order to stop the other blades of the fan from breaking, Karen quickly switched the power off.
She suggests that the incident could be due to the fan's prolong usage, especially with it being 4 years old.
Karen hopes that her Facebook post will be able to raise awareness about the potential dangers that a ceiling fan can bring. Also, mummies should think twice about installing a ceiling fan in the baby room, or putting the baby's bed directly under the ceiling fan.
Safety tips to protect your babies
The following tips are from this theAsianparent article.
- If you have a pedestal/table fan, place it well away from potential contact from the baby, ensuring there is nothing nearby that he can climb up onto in order to reach the fan.
- Make sure that all cords are out of reach from your baby.
- Invest in a fan guard, which is made out of fine mesh and fitted over the fan head to prevent little finger getting caught in the blades. This will also prevent your child from poking other objects in the blades.
- If you do buy a second-hand fan, run it through rigorous tests for health and safety. Make sure the grill is secure and the oscillator works, and the electrical works are safe as well.
- Consider fitting a ceiling fan as these are obviously placed far away from your baby's reach.
- If you do install one, ensure at least 3 to 4 feet between the tip of the ceiling fan blades and the edge of your child’s bed or other furniture, so if he’s tempted to jump on his bed or climb he won’t reach the fan. This is especially important if your child has a bunk bed.
- Ensure that all blades are properly installed and that the fan is securely mounted following the manufacturer's instructions.
- Never turn a fan into a play thing. As a kid, you may have made silly noises in front of a fan, but it's best not to show your child how to do this as it's a safety hazard.
- Do not hang streamers, ropes or other items from the blades of a ceiling fan. This could pose the danger of strangulation for your child.
- Clean your fan at least once a month, as dust and dirt will get trapped on the blades.
We hope you've learnt an important safety message from this article. If you have any thoughts on this story, do share them with us.