Having children around the house changes everything. You exercise more caution and care to ensure your kids won’t be harmed in any way. After all, accidents and injuries can happen in a safe space such as your home and despite your close supervision.
Prevention goes a long way as you take the best approach to keep your home safe for the family and pets. This checklist is for parents like you.
Keep a First Aid Kit
Your home’s first aid kit can look like this with plasters, antihistamine tablets, painkillers, bandages, and more. Also, keep it in an accessible place to replace expired medicines, and add supplies, as needed.
Post Emergency Numbers
Tack a list of contact numbers of the local police, emergency hotline, fire department, and other services on the refrigerator, near the telephone, or where the family congregates.
You can also include the numbers of your gas and electric utility, plumber, electrician, HVAC technician, and other skilled tradespersons for home-related emergencies and repairs.
Clear Wires
Extension cords, phone chargers, and any ropelike things can pose a choking or suffocating hazard on your toddlers. Best not to let these things lie about where your toddlers roam.
Also, check extension cords, power strips, and the like for damages or frayed ends. Extension cords, for example, have caused 3,300 home fires every year and have been associated with 4,000 injuries.
Improve Fire Safety and Preparedness in the Home
- Install smoke alarms, test them monthly, and replace batteries annually. Also, look into carbon monoxide detectors to prevent poisoning from the odorless and colorless gas.
- Place a fire extinguisher in the kitchen and strategic areas in the house. Look into a fire sprinkler system as another layer of protection and maybe earn a discount from your home insurer.
- Run a drill on how the abovementioned appliances work, including an escape plan in case of fire.
Store Toxic and Dangerous Objects Properly
Household Cleaners
Household cleaning agents, laundry soaps, and personal hygiene products must be kept out of children’s reach. If the space underneath the sink is the only option to store cleaning products, install safety latches, and locks on the cabinets. Keep the labels on the products for safety instructions in case of accidental poisoning and ingestion, and call the first responders immediately.
Sharp Edges and Loaded Guns
Replace scissors and knives in their respective kitchen drawers after every use. Store guns safely. Unload the firearm first, store the ammunition separately, and keep it in a locked location.
Medicines
Check child-safety caps for your prescription pills and vitamins. Better yet, keep them on your nightstand or in a bathroom cabinet. Ensuring the safety of prescription pills and vitamins is paramount, especially if you have children at home. o enhance the organization and accessibility of your pills, consider incorporating a pill organizer from Ikigai Cases into your routine.
Deal with Balloons
Even playthings can pose hidden dangers for kids. Suffocation can occur in two scenarios, according to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
First is when a child sucks an uninflated balloon and, while inhaling, draws it to their mouth and throat. The second is when the child chews on the bits of a broken balloon, which can block breathing. Keep an eye on where you place party supplies, and stay with the kids when they play with balloons.
Install Home-Security Cameras
It’s common for parents to remotely check on their children through security cameras. They offer a sense of relief that the kids are doing fine and safe from intruders, who are also the targets of this security feature.
Strengthen Your Door Locks
Toddlers are always up and about, wandering in and out of the house. You may have to install an automatic lock system to bar entry to the swimming pool area or stronger locks to protect the family while inside the house. The thing with new locks or any door lock, for that matter, is the possibility of being locked out. How about buying a set of bump keys? That takes away the worry and gives you the flexibility to open many kinds of locks in your property.
Fortify Pools and Bathtubs
Think of fencing off the swimming pool or use a pool cover that can support an adult’s weight. Aside from the pool, toddlers can drown in bathtubs. Accompany the child at bath time, and never leave their side.
These are some tips to childproof your home. How do you make stairs safe for kids to use and so on? Share your ideas in the comments section.
