Your home is the safest place for your kids, right? Well, not always. Your home can be a dangerous place for your kids-- but with a few safety measures, accidents and injuries can often be prevented. Take a look at these safety tips to make sure your home is as safe as possible for your children.
Safety hazards
Before you begin to child-proof your home, you should first realize the areas that need to be kept safe and secure.
Start by taking a walk around your home and look for obvious safety hazards. These include items like toys on the stairs, spilled liquids on slippery floors and wall outlets without safety covers.
Once you've taken care of any obvious safety hazards in your home, you can move onto the less noticeable. A loose stair railing or chipped tile may not seem like an immediate cause for concern, but children have an uncanny knack for finding ways to get hurt.
Kitchen
The kitchen serves multiple purposes in a family home and for that reason alone, it can be one of the more dangerous areas for children. Be on the lookout for these hazards in your kitchen to make sure your child stays safe.
- Are knives, forks, scissors and other sharp tools in a drawer with a child proof latch?
- When cooking, are pot and pan handles turned in toward the stove instead of over the edge where small hands can reach?
- Do you have knob locks and protectors on your stove and dishwasher?
- Do all of your cabinets have child-proof latches on them? Especially those where cleaning products are stored?
- Does your garbage can have a locking lid?
- Does the highchair for your child have a safety belt?
Bathroom
The bathroom is not only a germy place where children shouldn't be left unattended, but it can be a hazardous place for small children. Keep these things in mind when checking your bathroom for safety issues.
- Check your water heater and make sure the temperature is set below 120 degrees F to prevent burns and scalds when bathing your child.
- Are all your razors, nail clippers and other sharp tools kept out of reach of your child?
- Does your toilet have a lid-lock on it?
- Are you remembering to turn off and unplug your hair straighteners, blow dryers and curling irons when you're done using them?
- Are the rugs non-slip? Is there non-skid strips on the bottom of the tub?
- Don't forget to make sure children aren't left unattended near water-filled bathtubs, buckets, etc.
Around your home
Once you're done with the kitchen and bathroom, the other rooms in your home will need some inspection as well. Check for these things in the rest of your home to ensure it's safe for your little ones.
- Doors and windows
- Install finger-pinch guards on your doors.
- Install doorknob covers to prevent children from opening the front door.
- Install child-proof locks on sliding doors. Make sure sliding glass doors have markings or stickers so they aren't mistaken for open doors.
- Keep window cords tied or clipped up tall to prevent choking hazards.
- Install safety bars on windows, especially second floor windows.
- Furniture
- Make sure bookshelves are secured to the wall and won't tip over.
- Protect the corners of tables, chairs and countertops with padding or cushions.
- Do toy chests and cabinets have safety hinges to stop them from slamming shut on fingers?
- Are TVs, lamps, speakers, computers or any other appliances out of reach or positioned on a stable piece of furniture?
- Stairs
- Are there safety gates installed at the top and bottom of stairways?
- Is there enough light in the stairway?
- Are the railings and banisters securely attached to the walls?
- Make sure any rips or loose carpeting is repaired to prevent trips and falls on the stairs.
When it comes to making sure your home is safe, you can never be too careful. Ultimately use your best judgment to decide what actions you should take when making sure your home is safe for children of all ages. In the end, the best course of action is to be prepared, so make sure you have a first-aid kit handy in your home and use common sense when making checking for safety hazards.