9 Home Safety Tips
How to keep your home safe for kids
Did you know June is Home Safety Awareness Month? With kids out of school, it’s a good time to check around the house for anything that might affect their safety. Each year, thousands of children suffer injuries from accidents at home, including more than 2,200 fatal injuries, according to Safe Kids Worldwide. At Champions for Children, we care deeply about the safety and wellbeing of kids in our community – and we know you do too! So we put together 9 tips to help keep your home safe:
Safety Gates
One of the easiest ways to keep children away from unsafe areas is by using safety gates. Safety Gates help prevent falls down stairs and to keep children from entering rooms and other areas with possible dangers. Safety gates that children cannot dislodge easily, but that adults can open and close without difficulty are the best options. For the top of stairs, it is best to only use gates that screw into the wall. Be sure to use safety gates that meet current safety standards.
Door Knob Covers
Once your little one is on the move, you’ll quickly realize there are still a few more things to secure around your home. When your toddler figures out how to turn doorknobs, they can end up where they shouldn’t be. For peace of mind, the best child-proof door knob covers are made of sturdy plastic that help prevent children from entering rooms and other areas with possible dangers. Be sure the door knob cover allows a door to be opened quickly by an adult in case of emergency.
Furniture Anchors
Children climb onto, fall against or pull themselves up on television stands, shelves, bookcases, dressers, desks, chests and ranges. These items can tip over and crush young children. Furniture Anchors help avoid furniture and appliance tip-overs. For added security, anchor these products to the floor or attach them to a wall. Free standing ranges and stoves should be installed with anti-tip brackets.
Hazard Alarms
Smoke and Carbon Monoxide (CO) Alarms help prevent poisoning and alert you to evacuate your home to avoid danger. Smoke alarms should be installed inside each bedroom, outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home. On levels without bedrooms, install alarms in the living room (or den or family room) or near the stairway to the upper level, or in both locations. Carbon Monoxide alarms should be installed near sleeping areas in your homes. Be sure to change the batteries in the alarms at least once a year.
Safety Plugs
A very common injury in the home is from accidents involving electrical outlets. If your baby touches an electric outlet, the current runs through part of their body and can cause a split-second sensation, a burn, or a serious injury. Children are curious little people. To ensure home safety, make sure to use safety plugs to cover all unused outlets!
Childproof Locks
We often use cabinets to store objects such as cleaning supplies that can be harmful to children – and they always seem to figure out how to find them! To keep kids safe, make sure to place childproof locks on each cabinet in your home that contains cleaning supplies, soaps or medicines. As an additional precaution, keep any medicine or other items that could be ingested in cabinets that are out of children’s reach.
Corded Blinds
A study by the Center for Injury Research and Policy found that over 26 years, emergency departments treated almost 17,000 children for injuries resulting from getting tangled in window covering cords. One of the easiest ways to keep cords away from kids is to wrap the blinds’ operating cords around cord cleats. With your kids coming home for the summer, now is the perfect time to purchase cord cleats that can keep window cords safely out of kids’ reach!
Pool Area Safety
A few simple precautions can make sure that time at the pool this summer is not only fun and a great way to cool down, but also safe! If you are using a family pool, enclosing it with a fence and lockable gate can help prevent unsupervised swimming. Be sure to keep the gate locked when not in use. If you are visiting your local community pool, always make sure children have adult supervision while swimming.
Bath Time Safety
Did you know drowning is the leading cause of injury-related death in the home for children ages 1 to 4? Give your child your undivided attention when they are in the bathtub or around water. Specialized bath safety items like a non-slip mat or bathing basin can help you keep bath time as relaxing and fun as possible.
Parenthood is a busy endeavor and you are often pulled in many different directions at once! These simple steps can help ensure your child’s safety while you enjoy summer fun together. Take an afternoon to make home safety something you work on together with your family during Home Safety Month. Do you have questions about home safety? Call our Parent Warm Line at (813) 673-4646 ext. 7!
Links to resources:
Childproofing Your Home
Home safety tips
Safe Kids Worldwide