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Follow These Safety Tips At Home For Children

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Small children love to experiment and explore, climbing into new places and tasting anything in reach. A child who is only crawling today may be standing up and reaching tomorrow, so parents need to plan ahead. Fortunately, a host of new products on the market make it easier than ever to shield children from danger. It is only obvious that parents must make themselves aware of the safety tips to be followed at home.

Here are some home safety tips that would help keep children safe and away from serious trouble:

A bathtub has hard and slippery surfaces. Cover the spout with an inflatable or foam spout cover. If the handles can be reached by a child, turn them off firmly; a child who turns on the hot water could be scalded. Apply slip-resistant strips to the bottom of the tub or buy a nonslip tub mat. Consider installing a grab bar or two. Keep all electrical appliances well away from the tub. And, of course, never leave a young child unattended in the tub.

Turn the home’s hot-water temperature down so it is just warm enough for a shower, and not so hot as to scald a child.

Many products commonly found in a bathroom, such as aftershave and perfume, can be harmful if swallowed or if they get in a child’s eyes. Keep them out of reach.

At a certain stage, a child finds stairways irresistible. Use gates to keep the stairs out of bounds. Purchase only new gates, which meet modern safety standards.

Electrical cords are a potential hazard, especially if a child handles the plug with wet fingers. A child also might pull down a toaster or other appliance by the cord. Position furniture such that the child cannot reach plugs.

Cover unused electrical outlets with special plastic safety plugs or covers.

If you have heating units that get very hot—a wood-burning stove, a kerosene unit, electrical baseboard heaters, or even steam radiators—take special precautions to keep the child away.

If you are cooking while the child is in the kitchen, use the back burners whenever possible. Turn pan handles toward the back, and move hot pots out of a child’s reach.