But you can never be too prepared for something that might or might not happen. And with my great long term memory I might remember how to treat an infant with a snakebite, especially if I keep it written down in a notes program on my phone.
And yes I realize that this is a writing forum but this is also where I posted all my alligator related stuff so it kind of makes sense that I would post about preparing for when my children get a snakebite as infants if it happens in the same place.
I think you're getting way ahead of yourself here. First of all, you're sixteen and won't be having a kid for many years. And if you're living with your parents and/or the child's father when that time comes, they'll be able to help you too.
I don't know what part of the world you live in, but we have Western Pacific rattlesnakes here in the central valley of CA. While I'm sure it happens occasionally, I've never known anyone whose child has been bitten by one. The most common snakebite victims are drunk guys who are daring each other to touch a snake, rock climbers or hikers who put their hands on them or step on them, and people who live in rustic areas and are clearing brush or something like that. Generally speaking, sturdy boots and gloves in snake country is good protection, as is moving slowly and being observant. One slithered across the trail in front of my husband and me when we were hiking with our dogs recently, and we kept the dogs on short leashes and waited for Mister Rattler to go on his merry way.
They actually don't
want to waste their venom on us, as its primary purpose is obtaining prey. A rattlesnake won't be able to hunt for a while after it empties its venom sacks, so they've evolved to bite only as a last resort.
These snakes don't come into suburban yards unless they're adjacent to brush-filled open space (keeping the brush cleared around your property is helpful here). And you wouldn't be leaving a baby or toddler out by itself in such an environment. Older kids can be taught snake safety.
Once you are ready to have kids, they have parenting and first aid classes you can take that will teach you about various risks and how to reduce them.
And I am saying this in all kindness--obsessing about this kind of thing right now is not doing you any favors. If you can't control these anxious thoughts, it might be a symptom of an issue you should get some help with. I am prone to anxious flights of fancy too, and I know how destructive they can be. You may want to talk to your parents about this, or to your physician.
Kids are killed by falling furniture and dog bite way more often than either of those things.
Actually, only
20-40 people a year are killed by dogs (more than half are children) in the US. Many more are bitten, of course, some quite severely, but considering how much contact people and dogs have with one another, it's amazing how low dogs rank on the list of things that kill us. More kids are
killed in youth sports than are killed by dogs.
Not that parents should be leaving young kids unsupervised with dogs either. But recent data show that an inordinate number of bites happen
when the parents are present, because most people are shitty at reading the signals that dogs send when they're getting stressed and have had enough.
These kinds of videos that people post on the web because they're oh so "cute" give me the heeby jeebies as someone who loves dogs and wants both kids and animals to be safe. When dogs purse their lips, look away, stare, stiffen, yawn, and lick their lips, they're telling us they're nervous and unhappy with the situation.