Childproofing Your Home & Yard

According to Children’s Hospital Boston, 75% of calls to poison control centers are attributed to the accidental poisoning of children under the age of five. More than 85,000 children are treated annually for burn injuries. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission reported 55,962 injuries from desks, cabinets and shelving to children under the age of five in 2007. While these numbers may seem astounding, these are only a small percentage of preventable injuries that occur in or around the home. Taking steps to prevent these injuries does not need to be an expensive or difficult task. 

Kitchen & Dining Rooms

The kitchen is a major risk area for children. One of the first steps you can take to prevent injury is to install door locks, not only on your cabinets, but also on your stove and refrigerator. Many parents keep chemicals under the kitchen sink, but this is not the place for toxic material to be kept. Store these items in a cupboard that is hard to reach and then install a locking mechanism as an additional preventative measure. Even better, look into using all natural and non-toxic cleaning agents as opposed to chemicals. As for the refrigerator, children can easily open the refrigerator and crawl inside, becoming locked in when air pressure forms a vacuum that does not allow them to push the door open again. A simple handle lock can be affixed to the side of the refrigerator so that a small child is unable to open it. Ovens present the obvious danger of burns, but that is not the only problem. Children open oven doors and use them as a “step” to reach higher areas. The balance of the oven’s weight is then thrown off and the oven can topple onto your child. This can be prevented by using an oven door lock, which also safeguards against burns.

Living Room

Televisions tip onto children every single day. This causes an array of issues from minor injuries to death. Make sure to purchase only stands that are specifically made to hold televisions. Some TV stands have a front lip, which helps prevent the unit from being pulled off the stand. Electrical outlets are another huge risk for small children. Kids are naturally curious and they often try to fit items into every nook and crevice that they find. When fingers, metal objects or toys are stuck into outlets, electric shock can occur. There are simple plastic plug stops that you can insert to prevent this from happening. For outlets that are in use, consider buying a locking outlet cover that mounts to the wall surrounding your outlets. Even if a child were to tug on a cord, the cord would stay firmly in place. Mini-blinds are another common hazard. Keep pull cords short so that children cannot access them.

Bedrooms

With the abundance of two story homes over the last decade, bedroom windows have become a major concern for parents. Window barriers installed over the window opening allow fresh air to get in without the risk of a child falling out. Another bedroom hazard is the bi-fold door. Small fingers are pinched, blistered and even broken when caught inside the grasp of the closure. Locks installed at the top of the door give mom and dad access while keeping a curious toddler from getting hurt. One other issue with upstairs bedrooms is the stairs themselves. Traditional retractable gates will not stop the force of a child that is leaning out over an open stairwell. A mounted gate with a locking feature is the preferred method of keeping kids from falling down the stairs.

Bathroom

Children often mistake medications for candy. Medications should not be stored in the bathroom cabinet, but rather in a locked cupboard away from heat and light. Even over-the-counter medicines can kill or severely injure a child if they are misused. If you must store medication in the bathroom, install a secure lock on the cabinet so that a child cannot access the area. Toilet locks can be adhered if your little one has a tendency to open the lid. While drowning in a toilet is not likely, it is also not impossible. A lock will also keep keys, cell phones and PDA’s out of the water. One other consideration for the bathroom is water temperature. Keep the thermostat on your water heater set at no higher than 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Third degrees burns can happen in less than 2 seconds when a water heater is set at 150 degrees. Reducing the temperature gives a longer amount of time for the child’s system to react, thereby allowing the child to pull his hand away prior to incurring a terrible injury.

Garage & Laundry Rooms

Garages and laundry areas are another chemical haven. Anti-freeze, brake fluid, gasoline and bleach are just a few of the likely culprits that children might inhale, swallow, spill or otherwise unintentionally harm themselves with. Cabinet locks can be used to keep these items out of sight and away from kids. Other problems in the garage include tools that are left out in the open, particularly power tools. These should be properly stored away at all time. Shelving in laundry areas need to be secured to a studded wall. A small child could try to climb up the shelving unit, causing it to fall on top of her. Falls due to oil spills on the garage floor are a common cause of injury. Keep a bag of oil dry or even generic cat litter around to pour on top of spills. This creates a textured surface that absorbs the slippery fluid. One other major cause of injury in the garage is the overhead door. Make sure that the auto-reverse device on your overhead door works properly. Place something under the door (such as a packing box) and try to close it. The door should have a sensor that stops it from closing. If it continues to close on the box, it could do the same to your child. As with the refrigerator, a lock for the dryer door and washing machine lid are another means of preventing children from becoming trapped.

Outside Your Home Outside of your home, you will need to enclose any areas where there is standing water. This includes swimming pools, ponds, access to lakes and even neighborhood overflow reservoirs that are assessable via your property. Fencing is the easiest way to block off these areas. There are portable gate systems that work for areas around smaller swimming pools. Make sure you know what is growing in your yard. Check out questionable plants and flowers for a toxicity level. If you are unsure of any specimen, the best bet is to remove it. Children like to put things in their mouths and the last thing you want is for your three year old to eat a handful of a poisonous plant. The best advice of all is to talk with your children. Start when they are infants. It may seem silly to explain to a four month old why the cabinet over there is “off-limits,” but as you continue to go over precautions, kids will quickly learn what is okay and what is not. Children particularly want to know “why” something is forbidden. Explanations will help with the curiosity factor.

Safety Info from the CDC

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Consumer Reports

SafetyEd

Safe Kids Haven

Safety Products for Special Needs Children

Safe Beginnings

Tot Safe

Kids Health: Child Proofing

Home Safety

Article Written by Colby McTwain