Child-Proof Homes

Childproofing Your Home:  
12 Safety Devices To Protect Your Children
 
About 2.5 million children are injured or killed by hazards in the home each year. The good news is that many of these accidents can be prevented by using simple child-safety devices that are available virtually everywhere today.  No device is completely childproof. Determined youngsters have been known to disable them. But you can effectively childproof your home for a fraction of what it would cost to have a professional do it. And safety devices are easy to find. You can buy them at hardware stores, baby boutiques, supermarkets, drug stores, houseware and linen stores, and through online vendors.  Any safety device you buy should be sturdy enough to prevent injury to your child, yet easy for you to use. It’s important to follow installation instructions carefully. Parents should be sure to purchase and install safety products that they will actually adapt to and use. The following are some child-safety devices that can help prevent many injuries to young children in the home.
 
 
Safety Gates
Install safety gates to help prevent falls down stairs and to keep children away from potentially dangerous areas, such as pools. Look for safety gates that children cannot dislodge easily, but that adults can open and close without difficulty.  For the top of stairs, gates that screw into the wall are more secure than non-permanent pressure gates.
 
Door and Safety Gate Locks
Use locks on doors and safety gates to help prevent children’s access to rooms and other areas that are potentially dangerous or not childproofed. Locks on safety gates to pool areas should be placed high and out of reach of young children. These should be used in addition to fences and alarms. Don’t rely only on sliding glass patio doors to keep children away from pool areas.  Also, door knob covers are inexpensive and recommended by some experts, but they are generally not effective for children who are tall enough to reach the doorknob.
 
 
Anti-Scald Devices
Use anti-scald devices for faucets and showerheads, and set your water heater temperature to 120° F to help prevent burns from hot water. A plumber may need to install these.
 
Safety Latches
Install safety latches and locks on cabinets and drawers in kitchens, bathrooms and other areas to help avert poisonings and other injuries by preventing children from gaining access to medicines and household cleaners, as well as knives and other sharp objects.  Look for safety latches that adults can easily install and use, but that are sturdy enough to withstand pulls and tugs from children. They’re not a guarantee of protection, but they can make it more difficult for children to reach dangerous substances. Even products with child-resistant packaging should be locked away out of reach.
 
 
Window Guards
Use window guards and safety netting to help prevent falls from windows, balconies, decks and landings. Window guards and safety netting for balconies and decks can help prevent serious falls. Check these safety devices frequently to make sure they are secure and properly installed and maintained. There should be no more than 4 inches between the bars of the window guard. If you have window guards, be sure at least one window in each room can be easily used for escape in case of a fire. Window screens alone are not effective for preventing children from falling out of windows.
 
Door Stops
Use door stops and door holders on doors and their hinges to help prevent pinch and crush injuries to fingers and hands that may be in the way of doors that close too fast or accidentally slam shut.  Be sure that any safety device installed is easy to use and is not likely to break into small parts, which could be a choking hazard for young children.
 
 
Electrical Receptacle Protectors
Use receptacle (or outlet) protectors to help prevent children from exploring electrical wall outlets, which could lead to possible electrocution and death.  Be sure the outlet protectors cannot be easily removed by children, and make sure that they’re large enough so that, if they are removed, a child cannot choke on them.
 
Edge Bumpers
Apply corner and edge bumpers to furniture and fireplace hearths to prevent serious injury by softening any possible falls against sharp edges and rough surfaces.  Be sure to use bumpers that stay securely on furniture and hearth edges but which do not damage them upon removal.
 
 
Cordless Blinds
Window blind cords should be cut to help prevent children from strangling in their loops. Installing safety tassels or inner cord stops on the cords of mini-blinds, as well as tension devices on vertical blinds and drapery cords, can help prevent deaths and injuries.  For older mini-blinds, cut the cord loop, remove the buckle, and put safety tassels on each cord. Be sure that older vertical blinds and drapery cords have tension or tie-down devices to hold the cords tight.  When buying new mini-blinds, vertical blinds or draperies, make sure that they come with child-safety features.
 
Carbon-Monoxide Detectors
Use a carbon-monoxide (or CO) detector outside each bedroom to help prevent CO poisoning. Carbon monoxide is invisible, odorless and tasteless, and most tragedies that occur in homes without these devices happen while the occupants are sleeping. There are now combination CO detector-smoke alarms available. Be sure to replace their batteries annually.
 
 
Cordless and Cell Phones
Use a cell or cordless phone to make it easier to continuously watch young children, especially when they’re in bathtubs, swimming pools, or other potentially dangerous areas, so that you don’t have to leave the vicinity to answer a phone call.  Remember that even phone calls can be distracting enough to divert your attention from watching children, whether they’re in the tub or at play, so make their safety your top priority, rather than your phone call.
 
Smoke Detectors
Use smoke detectors on every level of your home and near bedrooms to alert you to fires. Smoke detectors are essential safety devices for protection against fire deaths and injuries. Check smoke detectors once a month to make sure they’re working. If the devices rely on batteries, change the batteries at least once a year, or consider using 10-year batteries or having them hard-wired into
the home’s electrical system.
 
There are a number of different child-safety devices that parents can purchase to ensure the safety of children in their home.  Parents should be sure to do their own consumer research to find the most
effective safety devices:
 
• for their home’s particular structure and layout;
• that are age-appropriate for their children;
• that are affordable; and
• that are compatible with their household’s habits and lifestyle.
 
Feel free to ask me about these and other safety measures for your home:

                      

 

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