Hundreds of thousands of kids need to go to the hospital each year because of injuries from things like kitchen appliances, stairs, and electrical wires. You can keep your little ones safe by following these steps to help kid-proof your home!
Cabinets, Drawers and Doors
Keeping kids away from medicines, poisons, or other dangers is incredibly important. Luckily, this is an easy problem to fix. Buying child proof locks or handle covers for the places these things are stored can aid in keeping your children out of harm’s way!
The Kitchen
There are endless amounts of hazards in kitchens. Heated surfaces, knives, heavy objects, and other dangers could all cause harm! However, there are things you can do that will help avoid any accidents. Similar to above, it’s important to put locks and covers on cabinets and drawers. Most of these objects can be found in any general store. You can also try a baby gate.
If your child is old enough, be sure to educate them on the dangers that come along with hot surfaces and keep any hot pots, pans, or rags away from the edge of the counter in case a child pulls it down on top of them. Finally, you can help your children learn about knife safety by first starting them with butter knives or plastic knives before they go near a real one.
Stairs
As kids, we’ve all had our fair share of stair accidents. However, these can be avoided! Check all banisters and railings to ensure they aren’t loose or wide enough for a kid to fit through. Putting baby gates at the top or bottom of the stairs can also help prevent them from falling down. These gates can also be used to keep children out of other dangerous areas in the home.
Outlets
Electrical outlet covers keep loose wires out of reach. Electrocution could cause extreme harm to a child. If you’re willing to take the extra step, purchasing outlet covers that keep kids from sticking objects into the outlet can also help keep them safe.
Windows
Any home should have some sort of window guard or netting to keep children from falling out a window. This is important even with windows on the first level of your home. Ensuring your windows have limited space to open can also help keep accidents from taking place. However, make sure at least one window per room is available for escape in case of a fire.
