Childproofing your home

One of the areas that parents overlook the most when trying to keep their babies safe is childproofing their own home. According to a recent study experts have determined that children between the ages of 1 and 4 are most likely to be hurt or killed by fire, burns, drowning, choking, poisoning, or falls in their own home rather than by a stranger. In fact, every year 2.5 million children are injured or killed by dangers in their home according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Many parents find that childproofing their home is overwhelming because how much stuff is involved. Childproofing if taken in steps does not have to be overwhelming. You are going to want to start childproofing your home before your baby is even born, and then make adaptations to that plan as your baby begins to crawl and then walk. The reason for this is that as your baby develops different things become hazards. For example, sharp corners are not a danger for babies that lie still, but as they begin rolling over, crawling and walking those sharp corners become a danger.

Here are some tips that you can follow for childproofing your home.

Tip one:
Install locking latches on all appliances that can open and close. This will prevent children from crawling into open appliances, opening appliances that can contain dangerous objects or from removing items from appliances that can become choking hazards. You should also install knob covers to prevent children from turning on the stove burners and you need a stove guard to protect hands from reaching a hot stove. When you are cooking, make sure that you keep pot handles turned in. This will prevent a child from grabbing a handle that is turned outward and dumping hot contents on themselves.

Tip two:
Whenever possible install latches to the insides of drawers and cabinets. You can also use knob latches for cabinets and pantries that have doorknobs. Check every room to ensure that all cupboards and doors are locked. This will prevent your child from getting into drawers and cabinets that can contain numerous hazards, including chemicals and choking hazards. If you have an odd cabinet that a latch will not work on, there are different types of latches available consider emptying out the cupboard and making it a spot for toys, or other safe objects. Put chemicals and poisons up out of your child's reach, in addition keep that cabinet locked at all times.

Tip three:
Look into any household plants that you have around the house. Find out if the plants are harmful to children, some plants can cause illness or even death if eaten. Consider removing any hazardous plants outside of the home or even throwing them away. When potting your plants do not use rocks or marbles because they present a choking hazard for young children. They should also be avoided as ground cover.

Tip four:
Glass items, including knick-knacks, should be put up out of the reach of all children. You might be tempted to leave some of these items down to use so you can teach your child about items that are off limits, but it is not safe in the end because items can still get broken. If you want to use items to teach your child about off-limit items use something that is non-breakable.

Tip five:
Children learning how to walk use low sitting tables to practice cruising, the corners of these tables can be very dangerous. You can simply remove the table until the child is older or you can buy corner guards that will protect your baby from sharp corners. You can also buy padding to line the whole table or you can create your own padding. Just make sure that any sharp edges are covered.

Tip six:
Install safety gates at the tops and bottoms of all stairs. When installing gates at the tops of stairs you want to use a gate that has a secure latch and one that secures into the wall rather than being pressure mounted. Make sure that the stairs are free from clutter so nobody, including you, trips while walking up or down the stairs. As a child learns to climb the stairs closely supervise them, teach them to go backwards when they are going down the stairs, less chance of stumbling if they are crawling backwards. Never allow a walker; their use is not recommended for infants because of the dangers, near the stairs.

Tip seven:
Install smoke detectors on every floor of your home. Make sure that you install smoke detectors outside of every bedroom door, as well. Check the batteries in the smoke detectors at least once a year, preferably more.

Tip eight:
Install carbon monoxide detectors inside your home to monitor for the presence of carbon monoxide. Consider using a model that is battery operated or uses a battery backup so that it will work during power outages.

Tip nine:
Set your water heater's thermostat for 120 degrees Fahrenheit or below. This is considered the highest temperature for keeping children safe because at 130 degrees it only takes 30 seconds for a serious burn to occur, and at 140 degrees it only takes 5 seconds. To prevent burns when running water always run the cold water first and always turns the hot water off first. Never put your baby in the bathtub until after you have ran and tested the water. The best place to test the water for the bathtub is the inside of your wrist, if it's too hot there it is too hot for your baby. You can buy temperature-changing products that will indicate if the water is too hot by changing color.

Tip ten:
Install faceplates or outlet covers on all electrical outlets. Keep in mind that a study was done on outlet covers and it was found that children aged 2 to 4 could remove covers that were 1/16" thick and oval faced. Therefore, while these types of outlet covers are better than nothing you should consider installing the tamper-resistant outlet face covers. If you have, power strips make sure they are covered with an appropriate safety device.

Tip eleven:
Purchase cord bundlers so that you can bundle the cords to protect them from babies grasp. You can also secure cords to furniture so that a bay cannot pull them. If there are cords that are always within your baby's reach consider buying a cord shortener so that you can remove that cord from baby's reach. Watch teething babies carefully because they will chew on any type of cord, which can be an electrical hazard. You also want to replace any cord that has breaks, kinks, or holes.

Tip twelve:
Install a fireplace guard to keep babies out of the fireplace. You also want to place a cushion around the sharp edges of the fireplace hearth. For added protection, you can stop using your fireplace until your child is old enough to understand fire safety, this will help reduce the chances of burns. Never leave your child unsupervised around a fireplace, even if there is a fireplace guard.

Tip thirteen:
If you do not want your child to open doors you need to install doorknob covers one each door knob. You can also buy top locks that flip closed to prevent the door from opening all of the way. Finger protectors can be used to prevent pinched fingers, in addition to one-piece plastic doorstops that prevent the door from slamming shut on little fingers.

Tip fourteen:
Install window locks that will only allow the window to be opened a few inches. You want to make sure that no furniture is in front of the windows so that children cannot climb up to reach the windows. Always keep the windows locked, even if window guards are in place. Never allow children to sit on windowsills because you are sending the message that it is okay to sit on or around windows. To ensure that your blind cords are out of your child's reach purchase blind cord winders so that you can wind up your blind cords.

Tip fifteen:
Buy furniture straps or anchors so that you can secure any top-heavy furniture to the floor or a wall. Some top-heavy furniture comes with anchors to secure the furniture because of the risk of it falling over in an earthquake or for children climbing on it.

Tip sixteen:
Keep your bathroom doors securely shut at all times or buy a toilet lid lock to prevent a baby from falling into the toilet and drowning. Never leave your child unattended in the bathroom and if you have to leave to answer the phone or the door take your child with you.

No matter how much childproofing you do in your home the best childproofing tool you can use is supervision. Always be aware of your surroundings and never leave your child unattended. Most accidents happen when the parents or caregivers are only a few feet away.