Kitchen Safety

Your kitchen poses many dangers to your child, including poisonous materials, choking hazards and hot surfaces. It is best to avoid making the kitchen a play space and, in general, minimize the amount of time your child spends in the kitchen. Make the area as uninteresting as possible to curious children and follow these guidelines:

• Cabinets and drawers contain many hazards, such as cleaning supplies that are toxic, plastic bags which pose a suffocation and choking hazard, breakable and sharp objects, and food that can be a choking hazard. Be sure to lock all cabinets and drawers to keep your child away from the contents. Also move all cleaning supplies, including dishwasher detergent to a locked closet or a cabinet that is up high and out of your child’s reach.
   

• Spices and seasonings can be dangerous, including salt for its iodine, as well as vanilla and cooking wine for their alcohol. Be sure to keep those items in a locked cabinet or drawer.
   
• Knives can be dangerous, even when they are on a countertop and seemingly out of your child’s reach. Your child can reach for the knives while you are carrying him so it is best to keep them in a locked cabinet or locked drawer.
   
• Ovens and stoves are hot and can burn your child. It is a good idea to use the back burners of your stove whenever possible and remember to turn pot and pan handles in, and away from the edge of the stove. Reinforce with your child that the oven is hot and he or she should not touch it. To prevent burns and accidental fires, keep your countertop appliances unplugged when not in use and keep your oven and stove knobs locked.
   
• Another way to prevent burns is to keep drinks and dishes away from the edges of tables and counters.
   
• Keep appliances such as refrigerator, dishwasher and garbage disposal locked to prevent your child from accessing sharp or breakable objects as well as choking hazards.

Bathroom Safety

The bathroom can be fun during bath time, but there are many areas that are also hazardous.

• Drowning can occur in less than 2" of water. NEVER leave a child unattended in a bathtub, not even for a moment; nor should a child be left in the bathtub in the care of an older sibling. Also, keep all toilets locked.
   
• To prevent burns set your hot water heater to 120 degrees Fahrenheit or lower. Always check water temperature before placing your child in the tub. Swirl water around with your hand to eliminate any hot spots.
   
• Prevent your child from bumping his or her head by using a spout cover.
   
• Keep cabinets and drawers locked to prevent children from accessing toothpaste, perfumes, soaps, lotions, deodorant, mouthwash, etc – all of which can be dangerous if ingested. Also, store razors and razor blades in a locked cabinet or drawer. In the tub, keep soaps and shampoos out of your child’s reach.
   
• To prevent poisoning, do not rely on child-resistant caps to prevent your child from accessing medicine. Keep all medicines, including vitamins, in a locked closet or up high and completely out of reach.
   
• Prevent slips in the bathroom by placing slip-resistant mats in the tub and a slip-resistant pad under bath mats.

Living Room / Play Room Safety

When you childproof your home, your curious child can explore and experience new things in a safer environment.

• The hard, sharp edges of furniture such as coffee tables and end tables can pose a hazard to crawling babies, and even walking toddlers. Be sure to pad corners and edges to avoid injury.
   
• Be sure to also pad the brick edges of a fireplace, which can be dangerous. Keep all fireplace accessories, fire wood and matches out of reach. Always keep your child away from the fireplace while a fire is burning.
   
• Cover all outlets to prevent an electrical shock.
   
• Blind cords can pose a strangulation hazard to children. Wrap up excess blind cords to keep them out of reach.
   
• Window screens cannot support the weight of a child, and are not intended to do so. Keep windows locked and keep children away from open windows.
   
• Keep electrical cords out of child’s reach by tucking them behind a piece of furniture when possible or with a cord shortener.
   
• Cover powerstrips to prevent your child from accessing exposed outlets and pulling out plugs.
   
• Prevent your child from pulling furniture onto himself by securing it to the wall.
   
• Lock your VCR to prevent little fingers from getting stuck, and possibly cut.
   
• Give baby only the toys that are suitable for her age. Keep the toys of older siblings out of reach, as they may pose a choking hazard.
   
• Move heavy and breakable items out of your child’s reach.
   
• Regularly survey the area for potential choking hazards, such as buttons, coins, plant leaves and dirt, etc.

Nursery / Bedroom Safety

Make the area safer for sleeping and playtime by following these safety tips:

• Use only a crib that was manufactured within the last 6 years to insure that it meets the most recent safety standards.
• To prevent suffocation and strangulation, be sure that the crib sheet stays tightly in place. Don’t keep pillows, extra toys, stuffed animals, or blankets in the crib. When your child is a newborn they could pose a suffocation hazard. Then, when your child is older and can pull herself up, these items as well as crib bumpers, can create a “stepping stool” for her to get out of the crib. Also, hang toys only on the side of the crib that is next to a wall, for this same reason.
• Place your baby on his or her back when sleeping to prevent suffocation.
• Do not place any wall-hangings above the crib. Your child could pull these items down onto himself.
• Cover all outlets to prevent an electrical shock.
• Blind cords can pose a strangulation hazard to children. Do not position the crib near a window. Wrap up excess blind cords to keep them out of reach.
• Window screens cannot support the weight of a child, and are not intended to do so. Keep windows locked and keep children away from open windows.
• Keep electrical cords out of child’s reach by tucking them behind a piece of furniture when possible or with a cord shortener.
• Furniture, even wide dressers, can be surprisingly tippable. Toddlers open drawers and use them as a ladder to reach items that are on top of a dresser. These open drawers, plus the weight of a toddler, can make even the sturdiest of dressers tip over. Secure furniture to the wall to prevent tipping.
• Moving a child to a bed is not recommended until the age of two. Thereafter you can use a portable bed rail to safely secure a child over the age of two.
• It is recommended that only children over two years of age be transitioned into an adult or toddler bed. For added security, utilize a portable bed rail.

Stair and Hallway Safety

Even though we’re just passing through these areas, they should be childproofed too! Falls from stairs are especially dangerous, so be sure to install gates before or as soon as your child starts crawling.

• Be sure to install a gate at the top of each stairway to prevent falls. Never use a pressure-fit gate at the top of the stairs, but rather a gate that can be mounted with hardware.
   
• A child only needs to fall from a few stairs to be seriously injured, so be sure to use a gate at the bottom of the stairs as well. It’s OK to teach your child how to climb the stairs but she should only do so when you’re right behind her, every step of the way. Use a hardware-mounted or pressure-fit gate at the bottom of the stairs.
   
• Cover all outlets in the hallway to prevent an electrical shock.
   
• Lock any closets that may contain dangerous items, such as dry cleaning bags which pose a suffocation hazard, cleaning supplies, medicines, etc.
   
• If there is a balcony on the second floor of your home and the banisters are spaced too widely apart (more than 3"), be sure to cover the balcony to prevent falls.

Other Areas

• There are many dangers lurking in the laundry room, including the dryer, detergent, and dangerous items that may be stored there. Be sure to keep the door to the laundry room or laundry closet locked.
   
• Home offices are particularly challenging to childproof because there are so many hidden dangers, including cords, filing cabinets, paper clips, staples, etc. It is best to keep your child away from the home office area entirely by locking the door or placing a gate in the doorway. If your child must be in the home office, be sure to use powerstrip covers, cover electrical outlets, secure tall bookshelves to the wall, lock filing cabinets and keep all choking hazards such as pen caps, push pins, etc. in a locked drawer.
   
• If your family spends time on an outside deck, be sure to install a gate at the top of the stairs as well as a railnet to prevent falls. Sand down any wood banisters or boards that be may splintering. Clean off any rusted areas. Keep your child away from the grill when barbecuing.
   
• Be sure to install a smoke alarm on every level of your home and outside each sleeping area. Change the batteries when you change your clocks for daylight savings time and test them once a month. If your home uses gas for cooking or heat, be sure to also install a carbon monoxide detector. CO is especially dangerous because it is colorless and odorless, making it a silent killer.
   
• Basement stairs are very dangerous. Be sure to lock your basement door or install a hardware-mounted gate at the top of the stairs.
   
• If you have a pool, to prevent drowning make sure there is a locked fence surrounding it to prevent your child from accessing the pool unsupervised. Drain all kiddy pools when not in use. Also, if there is a hot tub in your home, make it off-limits to children. Drain the water when not in use or keep the cover or door locked.