The Baby Shower Favors Blog

Every year nearly 3 million children are killed by or sustain injuries in household accidents. Accidents in the home top the list of causes of childhood fatalities. Many of these accidents can be avoided by properly childproofing every room of your home. With a little time and a few handy safety devices, you can easily prevent a tragedy. It’s important to look at the safety hazards each room presents.

Child proof the bathroom
1.  Turn the thermostat on your water heater down to 120 degrees and place anti-scalding devices on the faucets. These devices take many shapes and forms. Some look like a small box you put over the faucet so children can’t turn it on, but the most reliable anti-scalding devices are those that screw onto faucet and shower heads. The small filtering device automatically shuts off the water when it goes above a preset temperature.

2. Toddlers grab onto many things for balance and can easily fall into the toilet bowl. Once your little guy is ready to begin toilet training, you can remove the locks at your discretion.

3. Secure the under sink cabinets and drawers with safety latches. Companies like Safety 1st make numerous types of latches for different types of drawers and cupboards (see Resources below). You may need to purchase a few different types to completely childproof your bathroom.

Child Proof the Kitchen

1. Keep all toxic chemicals including cleaners, soap, insecticides, shoe polish, and any other poisonous substances out of reach. You should place these things in a high shelf or cabinet that has a secure lock. Sometimes children will climb without the parent ever suspecting a thing.

2. Cook on the back burners of the stove, use burner covers when you’re not cooking and make sure to turn pot handles toward the back of the stove. You may also want to consider purchasing stove knob covers that prevent children from turning the burners on.

3. All sharp objects including glassware, knives and other silverware need to be kept under lock and key.

Childproof the Rest of the House

1. Block the tops of stairwells with baby gates to avoid a nasty spill. Luckily, baby gates are very portable and can be carried from room to room to block access to off-limit spaces or to contain your child to a safe perimeter.

2. Plug unused electrical outlets with outlet covers and make electrical cords as inaccessible as possible. You can purchase child-safe power strips or power strip covers that slide to close unused outlets. Keep any electrical cords or any sharp objects sway from the child’s reach. It only takes seconds for a child to grab hold of a lamp cord and within seconds the heavy lamp could fall on top of the child causing serious injury.

3. Cut the blind cords or use a retrofitting kit to avoid the possibility of strangulation. The Window Covering Safety Council provides free kits to retrofit venetian and other blinds with dangerous cords

4. Check your smoke alarms to make sure they work properly and install additional ones as needed.  Make sure you have a fire extinguisher on hand. The best type to have is a multipurpose ABC extinguisher. They’re a little more expensive, but can put out all classes of fires, including flammable liquid and electrical fires.

5. Construct a locked fence around your pool and cover it when it’s not in use.

6. Childproof upper-story windows by using window guards or netting. Screens can easily give way with the weight of a child pushing against them.

7. Never leave any chairs or stools around the child. The small child could use a chair to climb to an area that may have harmful chemicals, hot water or some sharp object. Never leave the child unattended for a second.

Childproofing your home may be a hassle but it is something that must be done