Child Proofing Your Home
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Child proofing your home to prevent and eliminate chances of injuries or mishaps is extremely important. Here are proven ways to keep your children safe within your home. Different areas around the home require different safety measures. Here are a few good ground rules:
Install safety latches on all cabinets and drawers to keep children's hands away from poisonous household products.
Use the stove's back burners and turn pot handles toward the back of the stove to keep them out of reach of children.
Keep kitchenware and appliances out of reach and away from the edge of counter tops.
Put visual reminders using stickers or little notes atop potentially poisonous or hazardous items as a constant reminder.
Install safety latches on cabinets and drawers to keep children's hands off detergents or cleansers that are dangerous.
Install toilet locks to keep toilet lids closed. Children lack fully developed motor skills so they run the risk of falling into toilets easily. They can drown in just an inch of water.
It is essential to fix anti-scalding devices on the faucets and shower heads in the bath rooms to avoid getting accidentally burned. Set water heater thermostat to 120 degrees. Only three seconds are enough for a child to sustain third-degree burns from water at 140 degrees.
Care should also be taken to unplug other appliances like hair dryers and electric rollers in the bathroom. This will help you avoid accidental electrocution in case they come in contact with water. Keep out of reach of all children.
Cover unused electrical outlets with outlet protectors or safety caps. Electrical outlets should be updated with ground-fault circuit interrupters that turn off electricity if appliances fall into water.
For outlets in use, tape plugs into outlets, especially those low to the ground.
Use safety gates at the top and bottom of stairs to avoid hazards.
Use doorknob covers to keep children away from rooms and other areas with hazards, such as swimming pools.
Corner and edge-bumpers are ideal for use on furniture that might cause injury to unsuspecting children. You could also use them on other places like the fireplace hearth. They are really useful for keeping children out of harm's way.
Place furniture away from high windows so children won't climb onto windowsills.
Ensure that the blinds on your window do not have looped cords. These can be very dangerous as they are capable of strangulating kids and are therefore potentially hazardous.
Take care to remove free-falling lids that you might have atop your kid's toy chest. These can drop accidentally and hurt your child. Either remove them completely or purchase lightweight lids instead.
Prevent furniture from tipping by fixing bookcases or tall furniture to walls with screws or bolts.
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