How to ensure child safety in the home

A child’s home should be a safe haven. But even for attentive parents, their loving home can contain many dangers that can injure a young child. If you want to ensure that your child stays safe at home, here are a few simple steps you can take to prevent accidents and ensure the safety of your child.

Child safety in the kitchen

Your stove can be the source of danger to a curious child. If you are cooking, and your child is in the kitchen withy you use the back burners and turn pot handles away so your child cannot easily reach a hot pot and pull it off the stove.
Never leave hot foods and drinks near the edge of the table or a counter.
Keep Knives and other pointed objects out of sight in childproof-protected drawers.
Unplug all small electrical appliances when not in use, wind up cords with a twist tie. To prevent a child from tripping on the cord.
Keep all dishwashing, laundry detergents and cleaning fluids out of reach.

Child safety in the bathroom

Most serious home accidents occur in the bathroom because there are so many hard surfaces.

There are many attractions that can draw your child’s attention in the bathroom. The best way to prevent accidents in the bathroom is to install a safety lock on the bathroom door and only allow your young child access when you are there to supervise.

Never leave pills, medicines, cleaning supplies and other poisons where a child can reach them. Keep them in locked cabinets .In case of future emergency make sure to keep your doctors telephone number and the number of you local poison control center handy.
Never leave your child in the bathroom or in the bathtub alone. Always drain the bathtub after use.
To avoid burns, test the water’s temperature before putting your child in the bathtub.
Electrical appliances such as electric razors and hair dryers should always be kept unplugged and away from the water when not in use.

Child safety in bedroom

Remove or tie back loosely dangling cords that may possibly entangle your child's neck. So be sure that the child’s crib is far from hanging cords such as curtain cords, drapes, or electrical cords.
Hanging toys and mobile crib toys should be placed high so that the child cannot reach it and pull it down.
All furniture and decorations should be balanced, sturdy and well mounted. A rocking chair may look nice and be very relaxing, but if a child stands on it, he or she may fall and get injuries.
Improperly affixed pictures can fall and hurt the child. Avoid heavy lamps, vases or mirrors as there is the danger that they may be tipped over and fall on your child.

Child Proofing your Home

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. In addition, if you have older children in the house, be sure they re-secure safety devices. Remember, too, that no device is completely childproof; determined youngsters have been known to disable them.

Here are some child safety devices that can help prevent many injuries to young children. The red numbers correspond to those on the image following the text.

Use Safety Latches and Locks for cabinets and drawers in kitchens, bathrooms, and other areas to help prevent poisonings and other injuries. Safety latches and locks on cabinets and drawers can help prevent children from gaining access to medicines and household cleaners, as well as knives and other sharp objects.

Look for safety latches and locks that adults can easily install and use, but are sturdy enough to withstand pulls and tugs from children. Safety latches are 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; this packaging is not childproof.
Use Safety Gates to help prevent falls down stairs and to keep children away from dangerous areas. Safety gates can help keep children away from stairs or rooms that have hazards in them. 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 to the wall are more secure than "pressure gates."

New safety gates that meet safety standards display a certification seal from the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA). If you have an older safety gate, be sure it doesn't have "V" shapes that are large enough for a child's head and neck to fit into.
Use Door Knob Covers and Door Locks to help prevent children from entering rooms and other areas that contain possible dangers. Door knob covers and door locks can help keep children away from places with hazards, including swimming pools.

Be sure the door knob cover is sturdy enough not to break, but allows a door to be opened quickly by an adult in case of emergency. By restricting access to potentially hazardous rooms in the home, door knob covers could help prevent many kinds of injuries. To prevent access to swimming pools, door locks should be placed high out of reach of young children. Locks should be used in addition to fences and door alarms. Sliding glass doors, with locks that must be re-secured after each use, are often not an effective barrier to pools.
Use Anti-Scald Devices for faucets and shower heads and set your water heater temperature to 120 degrees Fahrenheit to help prevent burns from hot water. Anti-scald devices for regulating water temperature can help prevent burns.

Consider using anti-scald devices for faucets and showerheads. A plumber may need to install these. In addition, if you live in your own home, set water heater temperature to 120 degrees Fahrenheit to help prevent burns from hot water.
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 detectors are battery-operated, change batteries at least once a year or consider using 10-year batteries.
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 four 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 a fire. Window screens are not effective for preventing children from falling out of windows.
Use Corner and Edge Bumpers to help prevent injuries from falls against sharp edges of furniture and fireplaces. Corner and edge bumpers can be used with furniture and fireplace hearths to help prevent injuries from falls or to soften falls against sharp or rough edges.

Be sure to look for bumpers that stay securely on furniture or hearth edges.
Use Outlet Covers and Outlet Plates to help prevent electrocution. Outlet covers and outlet plates can help protect children from electrical shock and possible electrocution.

Be sure the outlet protectors cannot be easily removed by children and are large enough so that children cannot choke on them. .
Use a Carbon Monoxide (CO) Detector outside bedrooms to help prevent CO poisoning. A carbon monoxide (CO) detector can help prevent CO poisoning. Consumers should install CO detectors near sleeping areas in their homes. Households that should use CO detectors include those with gas or oil heat or with attached garages.
Cut Window Blind Cords; use Safety Tassels and Inner Cord Stops to help prevent children from strangling in blind cord loops. Window blind cord safety tassels on mini-blinds and tension devices on vertical blinds and drapery cords can help prevent strangulation in the loops of cords. Inner cord stops can help prevent strangulation in the inner cords of window blinds.

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, verticals, and draperies, ask for safety features to prevent child strangulation.
Use Door Stops and Door Holders to help prevent injuries to fingers and hands. Door stops and door holders on doors and door hinges can help prevent small fingers and hands from being pinched or crushed in doors and door hinges.
Use a Cordless Phone to make it easier to continuously monitor young children, especially when they're in bathtubs, swimming pools, or other potentially dangerous areas.