Child Safety in the Home - 7 Child Proofing Tips For Your Home

The final papers have been signed and you're readythey could never reach. Children areextremely
to move intoyour new home. But before you do,creative and curious - they can find ways to get
don't forget to consider childsafety in the home.into,onto and out of things you would never imagine
Child proofing your new home should be a priority -possible.
one you canand should complete before you move in.Be sure all windows, whether screened or not, are
Child proofing doesn'thave to be a long and drawneither out ofreach of a child or securely locked. You
out process -- many home safetyproducts arecan purchase a childsafety door lock or child safety
available on the market. If you follow the seventipswindow lock at most stores.
below, you can easily child proof your new house inBlind cords are another potential hazard for both
less thanone day.children andpets. Cords should be wrapped up and
Child proofing Tip #1 - If It Doesn't Look Safe, Itsecured out of reach achild. You can easily wrap the
Probably Isn't!cord around a hook on the wall oreven around itself
As a parent, you have a pretty good idea of what isand then tuck it out of sight on a curtain rodor on
and isn'tsafe for your child. If something looksthe top of window blinds.
dangerous, figure outwhat you can do to make itChildproofing Tip #5 - Protect Outlets
safer. For example, staircases alwayspose a dangerCommon outlets can be a danger to young children
to a young child. Why worry about your childfallingwho like to putthings where they don't belong. When
down the stairs when you can install a child safetywe moved into ourhouse, we were amazed to find
gate128 outlets that needed to becovered. The easiest
(often called a baby gate) at the top AND bottom toway to protect children from an outlet isto use a
keep youryoungster off the stairs when you're notsafety plug to cover each outlet. The safety plugis
watching?inserted into the outlet much the same as you would
This won't prevent the older kids from sliding downinsert aplug. As long as the safety plug is in place,
the banisterbut at least it will prevent the little onesnothing can beput into the outlet and the plugs are
from falling down thestairs. When installing a babyvery difficult for childrento remove.
gate on stairs, make sure it isheld permanently inChildproofing Tip #6 - Child Toy Safety
place. Do not use pressure-mounted gates.Remove small toys from the reach of young children.
While they may seem strong to you, small childrenSmall toysand small pieces of just about anything can
can easily puttoo much pressure on the gate causingpose a choking hazardto young children. Don't be
it to dislodge and fall.comforted by the fact that your child
Childproofing Tip #2 - Learn From Your Children."never puts things in his or her mouth." Be safe
Your children WILL find the most dangerous things inrather thansorry by getting in the habit of picking up
your house,often finding things to do that you wouldanything that is lessthan three inches in diameter.
never have consideredbut that can cause seriousOlder children should be taught to pick up and put
injury. If your child gets hurt, don'tlet yourself thinkaway theirtoys to prevent their younger siblings from
that your child has learned and will not do itagain.getting an item thatcould be hazardous.
Chances are, he or she will! Thank them for showingA source of choking that is often overlooked is food.
youthe danger and do something to prevent it.Items thatseem safe - like grapes, hotdogs, apples
Childproofing Tip #3 - Store all Medicines, Cleanersand hard boiled eggs -should always be cut into small
and Otherpieces to avoid choking. Hot dogsshould be served in
Dangerous Substances Out of Your Children's Reachquarters or halves to make them easier tochew.
Move all poisonous substance out of the reach ofChildproofing Tip #7 - Child Water Safety
your children.Never leave small children unsupervised around
Safety is often overlooked for convenience. If youstanding water.
must store anytype of cleaning substance orCommon household items such as buckets, toilets,
medicine within a child's reach, besure to put safetybathtubs, filledsinks, bird baths, ponds, spas and pools
latches on your cabinet doors and/or drawers.can be a danger to yourchild. There are many
If at all possible, store cleaning materials andinexpensive safety devices that can be usedto make
medicines out ofa child's reach and sight. The ledge ofthese items safer. For example, you can use a toilet
the bathtub and under thesink ARE NOT good placeslidlock to prevent small children from raising the toilet
to store cleaning items.lid. Locksare available for windows and doors that will
Razors are another item that can be dangerous to anprevent childrenfrom gaining access to a yard.
unsuspectingchild. Children love to imitate adults. DoSelf-closing springs are availablefor gates and doors
not give them theopportunity to mimic shaving with athat lead to water areas. Although it may
real razor - the results canbe very painful.beinconvenient, a padlock or other locking device
Childproofing Tip #4 - Prevent Children fromshould be used onall gates leading to pools, spas and
Accessing Windowsand Blind Cordsponds. The lock should berelocked after each use.
You've probably heard horror stories of children fallingThere is no substitute for adult supervision but there
severalstories after pushing on a "secure" windoware manythings you can do to make your children
screen or falling outof a window a parent thoughtsafer and your supervisoryjob a little bit easier.