Whether you are a new parent or have friends with children, home safety for kids is paramount. As young children start to explore, there are so many hazardous things in your home to identify. To help you navigate this, we have put together eight top tips from a variety of resources that increase home safety for kids.
1: Medicines and Pills
We all know that leaving medicines or pills on low tables or in handbags can spell disaster, but we often forget about our visitors. If a friend or family member comes to visit and leaves their bag unattended on a couch or counter, they’re a prime target for inquisitive children. Instead, put guest bags into a room with a closed door, in an entrance closet or on a high counter out of reach.
2: Window Locks and Door Restrictors
Slamming doors or unlocked windows can mean disaster for little fingers. Fitting your doors and windows with lockable latches, such as LockLatch, will help keep your child safe. These allow you to uphold window and door security while still enabling you to let air in, therefore preventing accidents such as a door slamming on fingers or a child falling through an open window. This is particularly important when you have a multi level home where the top floor windows may pose a safety risk.
3: Glass Doors
Glass doors are a big home safety concern as they can be incredibly dangerous for young children. To prevent accidents, fit your glass doors with safety glass and stick on decals or stickers. These two things will go a long way in preventing an accident (stickers) and ensuring that if the accident happens, it will be far less serious (safety glass).
4: Emergency Numbers
Always have emergency numbers listed for emergency services and your family doctor ready and available. If there is an emergency and you are unable to give the number, then a friend or neighbor will have access to this valuable information, which can save precious minutes in an emergency situation. Place them in a few places, such as on the fridge or next to the home phone.
5: Fire Prevention
As we know leaving lighters, matches and candles around is hazardous … If children can see it, they will play with it and fire is particularly fascinating to them. Protect your home and improve home safety by storing candles out of reach and lock your firelighters, lighters and matches away from small hands. Child proof locks are also useful when storing flammable or harmful substances. Teach your children simple steps to follow in case of a fire emergency. This Safety from Fire article offers some great advice.
6: Electrical Home Safety
Electric sockets can be very tempting to little children, and it only takes a minute with your back turned for them to touch what they shouldn’t. Investing in child safety covers for your sockets are essential for peace of mind and increased home safety. We also suggest unplugging all unused appliances, not only does this prevent children from pulling down something which could harm them but it also means they cannot switch on appliances which can be dangerous.
7: Poisons
Another very important home safety tip is poison storage. From paraffin to pool acid, our homes are full of dangerous poisons. It is not only important to store these away and make sure they are securely fastened or closed at all times, but knowing what to do should a poisoning occur can literally save lives. For example, the instinct is often to make a child vomit when they have swallowed something harmful, however this can be life-threatening as opposed to helpful in the event of an accidental swallowing of paraffin.
There you have it, seven tips to increase home safety for children. If you have some additional suggestions and home safety tips, we would love to hear from you! Comment below or contact us via email at [email protected].
Read more on child safety:
Let’s Talk About Child Window Safety
LockLatch: Child Window Guards Made Easy
5 Window Stoppers and Locks for Better Home Security