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.