You may look at your house as home sweet home, but there could be hidden dangers in every room, especially if you have a baby. Babies don’t come with caution tags attached, of course, but you need to understand that they are full of boundless energy and an innate sense of curiosity. There are many steps that you must take in order to create a safe environment for your precious little one. Most of these steps are easy and inexpensive to do, but don’t disregard their extreme importance and necessity.

Statistics

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the National Safety Committee, about 2-2 ½ million children are injured or killed by hazards in the home. It is startling to note that a fatal injury in the home occurs every sixteen minutes in the United States. It is also estimated that nearly forty percent of children’s deaths and fifty percent of unintentional injuries occur in and around the home. These deaths and injuries could be prevented if parents spent as little as eight to ten hours child proofing their homes.

According to the Drug and Poison Center located in Cincinnati, Ohio, seventy-nine percent of all poison control center cases involve children, with sixty-four percent of those cases occurring in children under the age of five. During 2000, is estimated that 1.2 million children under the age of five were exposed to poisonous substances in the United States.

The Children’s Hospital of Boston has reported that approximately 88,000 children, ages fourteen and under, were treated at a hospital emergency room for burns. Fires kill more than 600 children and injure approximately 47,00 children each year. Even more surprising is the fact that hot tap water scald burns cause more hospitalizations and deaths than any other hot liquid burns.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that eighty-six percent of the reported electrocution injuries that were reported in 1997 occurred in children between one and four years of age. Also, the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control reports that in 2001, 859 children aged zero to fourteen died from drowning.

Wake-up Call

While these statistics are startling, many parents still don’t take the necessity of child-proofing their homes to heart. Many of these accidents and deaths were preventable. You can protect your child, and though it may take some time, effort, and even a little money, you cannot put a price on the safety of your child. The time to act is now! Take a look at your home from your child’s eyes. What you see as danger, he may see as fascinating. What you see as common place, he may see as adventurous. Not only must you anticipate danger, you must look for every possible hazard and take care of it before your child discovers it!

Poisoning Hazards

Children are naturally attracted to closed doors and shut drawers. They want to see what they are missing. Toddlers put things in their mouths. It is as simple as that. If you want to prevent your toddler from ingesting any poisonous substance, you need to take action immediately. You should remove all cleaning supplies, toiletries, medicines, and any other potentially poisonous substances from underneath cabinets and out of drawers. Move them up high and completely out of reach of your child. Of course there are many types of cabinet and drawer locks that you can buy, and these serve a purpose, but don’t rely on them to protect your child from poisoning. Get those substances out of reach immediately!

Burn Injuries

Children don’t understand the dangers of playing with matches, candles, lighters, and any other type of fire. You should never leave matches or lighters within reach of your child. If you are burning candles, burn them up high and out of reach, and you should always monitor the candle as it is burning.

Scalding burns are more common than you think. You should lower your water heater’s thermostat below 120 degrees. When you are bathing your child, be sure you keep her out of reach of the water faucet, so that she doesn’t accidentally turn the hot water on high. You can buy safety guards for your faucets.

Electrocution

There is just something so attractive about electrical outlets to children. They want to examine them and poke things into them. The risk of electrocution is very real, but it is so easy to prevent. There are several types of outlet plugs and covers available for use, and these are inexpensive and easy to use. You should plug up every outlet that you are not using, and be sure your child doesn’t handle any that you are using. Also, never leave any electrical appliance, such as a hair dryer, electric shaver, or curling iron, plugged in. This is especially important if you use them next to a sink.

Drowning

Your child can drown in just a few inches of water. It only takes a very short amount of time, also. If you have a pool, you should have a security fence around it with self-latching gates. If you have a pond, build a fence around it. Purchase covers that can be locked to safeguard your hot tub. Finally, don’t forget that fish ponds, bird baths, and buckets can be drowning hazards.

Other Hidden Dangers

While all of these dangers are very real possibilities, there are several other hidden dangers that you need to consider. When your baby first begins to crawl and walk, he won’t understand how to be cautious. You may need to cushion the edges of tables and hearths. You may also need to add several baby gates in your home, especially if you have stairs. If you do have stairs, don’t put your baby in a walker. He could accidentally fall down the stairs and risk severe injury. Many babies are climbers, so watch out for tilting furniture that could fall on your baby and injury him seriously. There are anchors you can purchase which will secure the furniture to the wall.

Remain on Alert

As your baby grows and matures, she will become more mobile, increasingly curious, and blatantly brave. You must always remain on alert, searching out hidden dangers, and taking preventative action before any injury occurs. Your diligence could prevent your child from being hurt, and you may even save her life. Take the time to child proof your home, and do it today!