Despite the fact that children are injured each year by hazards inside their home, you can safety proof your home and keep your children unharmed. Talk to your children about dangers of playing with certain products or items in your home. For example, you could tell your children not to touch the stove, stick objects in electrical outlets or play near or on steps. Creating a safe home environment is fairly simple To protect toddlers and young children from falling down steps, install safety gates at the tops of steps. Ensure that the gates are properly installed and don’t give way when leaned against. Also, install safety locks or latches on kitchen and bathroom cabinets that store harmful household cooking utensils, chemicals like bleaches, grill lighter fluid and heavy skillets and pans that could fall on your child. Again, test the latches to ensure that they are properly installed. Additional steps that you can take to child safety proof your kitchen include putting anti-scald covers on stove eyes and remaining in the kitchen while the stove is on. Keep pots and pans on back eyes, if possible, while the stove is on to help prevent children from accidentally bumping into pots and pans, causing hot liquids and foods to splash on them. If stoves, refrigerators and other appliances are uneven, install pads beneath them to make them even. Anchors, similar to those used in hotel rooms, can also be installed on furniture to keep furniture from toppling over should children climb atop the furniture. The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission also shares that edge bumpers can keep children from being injured should they fall against furniture. Alarms that should be in every home To protect your child from electrical shocks, place hard-to-remove covers over electrical outlets. Also, make sure that all electrical outlets have a standard plate on them. Engage in fire safety by installing fire alarms throughout your home. It’s also a good idea to store a fire extinguisher in a safe room in your house. Another type of alarm that you can install is a carbon monoxide alarm. Inspect both alarms regularly and replace the alarm batteries no less than once a year. As a family, practice fire and other safety exit drills. This can let you know if older children need more instruction on what to do in the event of natural disasters or a human created emergency. Outdoors child safety proof measures include putting locks on the garage door and placing garage door openers high enough so that young children cannot reach them. Make sure that electric garage door openers are functioning properly. Rakes, shovels, gravel, hammers and other heavy or hazardous objects should be kept out of the reach of young children. Because no child safety proof measures may work all the time, particularly if your child is determined to explore an area or object, educating your child about the dangers of playing with certain items is important. So too is making sure that you and your older children practice safety such as removing toys from the bottom of steps, keeping cords and plastic out of the reach of children and removing water from tubs when they are not in use.]]>
Child Safety Tips
Kids, since they are naturally curious, require special measures to ensure their safety. Whether this is your first child, or your fifth, everyone can use a refresher course about kid’s safety in the home. By being vigilant and following a few simple rules, you can help ensure that your kids stay safe in their own home. Cover it Up Those seemingly benign electrical outlets might not seem like they are out of the ordinary to you, but to your child, they might as well be magical. They seem to beg to have something, anything, poked into them. In order to protect you child from being shocked, or even electrocuted, invest in a couple packages of outlet covers. It is best to keep a few around since they tend to get misplaced when they are removed. Just be sure to keep loose outlet covers out of the reach of small children who still put things in their mouths. They can be a choking hazard. Gate it Up Baby gates, as they are commonly known, are also called safety gates. Unlike the ones popular in the past, these safety accessories no longer feature triangular shaped openings. Instead, many of them are made of a mesh pattern covering that eliminates the ability of the child to put their head through the opening. While safety gates are often used to block the ability of the child to go up or down a set of stairs, they can be used for much more. You can keep your child in a particular room while you are busy with chores. Conversely, you can also keep your child from accessing a particular room by placing a safety gate at the opening. These days, safety gates come in a variety of different widths, with many of them able to accommodate a range of openings. In addition, there are also many options when it comes to the latches that open the gate. This allows people with limited mobility to choose the gates that enable them to easily open them. Safety Latches Latches will keep your child out of the drawers and cabinets where you store your pots and pans, as well as any hazardous materials. They help to keep your child safe while still allowing accessibility to the tools you need to complete your daily chores. Today, you can find many different tools and resources to keep your kids safe in your home. After all, you want your home to be a source of comfort for them. ]]>