The holidays can take a tragic turn for many families with young children who end up in emergency rooms by the thousands this time of year. Many of the most common accidents are preventable.

Dr. Anthony Scalzo, M.D., SLUCare pediatrician at SSM Cardinal Glennon and director of the Missouri Regional Poison Control Center, offered these tips to keep your children safe this time of year:

1. Unless your house guests have children of their own, they likely are not used to having children around and need to be reminded to keep medications and other harmful substances out of the reach of children.

2. Your Christmas tree can be dangerous for young children. Loose light bulbs, tiny ornaments and the small hangers that support them can be too much to resist, especially for a young toddler who puts everything in her mouth. Keep ornaments out of the reach of small children. If possible, you may also want to close or gate off the room when you are not in there to supervise your child.

3. Watch your children at holiday parties to make sure that they do not drink alcoholic beverages left behind by a guest. It’s also a good idea to clean up at night to ensure your little one doesn’t get into anything if he wakes up early the next morning.

4. Keep lamp oils and candles out of the reach of children. Lamp oils can easily be drawn into the lungs leading to severe respiratory distress, while the hot wax from burning candles can cause burns.

5. If you have children under the age of 3 who like to put things in their mouths, pay extra attention to them around their older siblings’ new toys, which may have small pieces that are a choking hazard.

6. Use the same scrutiny on your holiday decorations as you would everyday decorations. Small knickknacks and glass decorations are especially dangerous for young children.

7. Keep hard candy, such as peppermint starlight mints, out of reach of small children who can choke on them.

8. Nuts are a favorite treat during the holidays, but are a choking hazard for children under the age of 7. In addition to mixed nuts, watch out for cookies, pies and other treats which may have large pieces of nuts in them. Also, some guests’ children may have life-threatening nut allergies.

9. Whether you’re traveling across the country or across town to visit your friends and family, always properly restrain your children in either a car seat, booster seat or with a seatbelt.

10. Most importantly, parents need to remain vigilant and avoid being distracted by the busyness of the holidays.