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| Baby Proofing your Home - Baby Safety Tricks for Effective Babyproofing |
By:
Elroy Vandresar |
|
Unfortunately, more than four million children find themselves in the er each year on account of home accidents. Fortunately 90% of those accidents could have been avoided. Nevertheless there is no replacement for vigilant supervision, proactive childproofing may go along way towards preventing needless accidents. As your child explores, teach him what is safe and what's off-limits.
Employing the knowledge of child safety expert Kimberlee Mitchell, experienced mother of two toddlers and who owns Boo Boo Busters Professional Babyproofing Service, below is often a listing of recommended childproofing methods for every home.
How To Create A Baby Safe Home Environment
The cheapest and quickest way to babyproof is to limit usage of certain parts of the home that are neither safe nor befitting babies. The garage, laundry room, loft, terrace, office, gym, utility room, craft room, rooms being built, etc. ought to be "off limits" for babies and will be secured with door locks. Leading door and interior garage door must have flip locks so child does not have usage of outdoors.
Common Hazards in most Home
Some household dangers are obvious while others might be more elusive. Albeit you'll find hundreds of dangers common to all households, they're easily rectified once recognized.
Electrical:
· Cover all outlets, power strips and old exposed wires. Engaged outlets using a cord connected and play areas (nursery, play room, lounge) should have sliding plate covers or even a big box outlet pay for oversized plugs on every exposed outlet. Push plugs can be used in less accessible areas only when the plugs are extremely a hardship on a adult to eliminate. A determined child and/or some twins, can get rid of the push plugs given sufficient time.
· Use cord control kits to organize and house all wires.
Tipping:
· Anchor all armoires, shelving units, dressers, etc. or appliances (i.e. TV, VCR, computer, etc.) which could topple onto child as a result of climbing or pulling. When drawers are open simultaneously the device, however sturdy, becomes front heavy and tips easily with weight of toddler on open drawer.
· Earthquakes are one other good reason to secure heavy furniture to wall stud.
Falls:
· Install window guards with emergency release latches on all windows on second level. Screens are certainly not babyproofing devices. Stay away from toy stacking. Children will accumulate almost anything to get yourself a view outside. Move furniture from half walls where child can climb up and fall over. Consider having Plexiglas installed to extend dangerous pony walls.
· Mount safety gate at stair top and bottom. Professional babyproofers offer top quality gates, extensions, custom mount kits for wood and wrought iron banisters. Pressure gates are certainly not recommended. If banister posts are more than 3" apart, put in a barrier.
· Install custom cut Plexiglas on stair banisters and decks which are no to code (2 1/2 inches wide) or if you can find decorative embellishments on banister that will act as a foothold for any climbing child.
· Make sure all area rugs and mats have non-skid bottoms to avoid slipping.
· Never leave infant unattended on changing table or bed
· Never let child play on stairs unattended.
Chemical:
· Move all chemicals (including cleaning supplies, various beauty and childcare accessories and alcohol) to your high locked cabinet.
· Install magnetic child safety locks (Tot Loks) on all accessible drawers and cabinets which contain these toxic items. These are 100% kid proof.
· No unsupervised entry into garage and laundry room.
· CO detectors should be attached to each a higher level home near sleeping quarters.
Plants:
· Find out which plants with your home and yard are poisonous. Landscapers commonly use White Oleander, that is highly toxic. If there is a plant in question, stop a sprig, place it in a very zip lock bag and bring it to local plant nursery because of their input.
Pets:
· Keep all pet doors closed off when child exists.
· Pets run through door and knock over child and/or child can escape on the outside via the door, which can be at their eye level and quite inviting.
· Never let your child access to a dog you do not know is good with children. Do not let child to hug dog or kiss its face. Don't bring small kids to dog parks. Keep child from pack of fast running dogs.
Choking/Strangulation:
· Anything that will fit in a empty cardboard toilet paper roll is really a choking hazard.
· Replace all old door stops that have removable rubber tips with one piece door stops because small rubber tip is often a choking hazard.
· Perform visual safety sweep of home each day before child wakes to make certain all small objects are acquired off floor.
· Stay away from older children's toys that could be choking hazards. Use locked storage bins for small pieces.
· Install a peg rack on wall to hold purses, coats, bags, backpacks, etc. to maintain over the budget.
· Install blind cord cleats and wrap all dangling cords to disallow strangulation.
Water:
· Stay away from the most popular drowning hazard and still have a pool fence, cover or net installed total pools and spas.
· When swimming with baby or small child always make sure they're within arm's distance and Be aware. Being engrossed inside a conversation with someone while "watching your child" is extremely dangerous.
· Babies can get into toilet head first rather than be capable of geting out so make sure you install toilet locks.
· After it rains execute a visual safety sweep from the yard to consider planters, buckets or water tables with pooled water and dump it out.
· Never leave a child unattended around water.
· Turn your hot water heater into 120 degrees Fahrenheit to avoid risk of scalding.
Humans:
· Use back burners in kitchen and turn pot handles in.
· Parents make habit of holding handrail when you use stairs when carrying child.
· Keep doors to "off limits" rooms pulled closed.
· Stay away from elderly or older children's non-safe habits about household. They'll unintentionally leave medicines out, drop pills, leave doors/cabinets/drawers open, etc. You'll be able to educate your loved ones members to become mindful with their unsafe habits but at the conclusion of waking time the newborn's safety is still your responsibility.
· Be vigilant about supervising your son or daughter. You are able to babyproof your home just like a safety fortress but there is no replacement your constant attention.
· Shut off the tv screen if you're not watching it with your child. The program could possibly be child-safe but the commercials may not. There are a few pretty terrifying things in the news that won't physically harm a child but could cause harm. See your pediatrician about this topic for more information.
A VIRTUAL Home SAFETY EVALUATION:
The subsequent is a room-by-room walk-through associated with an average family home. Take into account that our homes were not designed for the safety of your baby or child in your mind. Each residence has special features which can be unique along with common safety challenges. Below is often a listing of ways of common safety hazards within most homes:
Kitchen
· Install magnetic child safety locks (Tot Loks) on all accessible drawers and cabinets which contain toxic items (i.e. cleaning utility caddy, alcohol, vitamins, plastic bags, etc.)
· Gate off cooking area.
· Keep child in high chair or pack and play during meal preparation.
· Latch other drawers and cabinets. We recommend babyproofing for safety to start with, however additionally it is reliant on convenience. In the event you choose, keep one cupboard with Tupperware lids unlocked for child gain access to but be certain they could not use this open cabinet or drawer like a step to climb up onto counter. Your kids is probably not capable of reach certain drawers now but he surely will in no time.
· Never let child play with pots or pans since it sends a bad message to child that these are toys. When child sees the identical pots/pan on stove top he'll need to grab his familiar "toy."
· Consider latching all appliances child can access much like the refrigerator, dishwasher, trash compactor, dumbwaiter and oven.
· Keep all appliances on counter unplugged and hide electrical cords.
· Tend not to hang dish towels on oven door as baby can pull towel and bring the threshold down into the bridge of his nose.
· Use back burners on stove and install stove guard and knob covers if child has access to them.
· Avoid the use of small or breakable refrigerator magnets as is also choking hazards.
· Beware of leaving knives, scissors, mug, etc. on counter as child will grab at what you can get a handle on from other vantage.
Bathrooms
· No unsupervised entry into bathroom.
· Use safety locks on door all the time.
· Install toilet locks in order to avoid child from drowning and throwing objects in.
· Latch all cabinets.
· Move wastebasket under sink behind a latched cabinet door or use a covered receptacle.
· Turn hot water heater right down to 120 degrees to stop scalding.
· Always check hot and cold levels on the inner wrist just before putting baby into it.
· Never leave a child in bath unattended.
· Never leave filled tub unattended and drain tub right after use. Children can wander in and drown.
· Use no-slip mat in order to avoid slipping and also a spout cover to stop scalding and cuts.
· Remove all electrical appliances from bathroom where child bathes.
Living Room/Family Room
· Eliminate baby's entry to fireplaces, wood stoves and hot tubs using gates developed for this function. If gates will never develop fireplace use specially designed fireplace lock on glass accordion doors and install hearth padding around edges of hearth to stop child from falling into it.
· Remove gas key from fireplace gas gauge and store in high place.
· Anchor all items which are tipping hazards.
· Anchor TVs.
· Remove all items (torchiere lamps, freestanding coat racks, statues, etc.) from home until child is older.
· Cover end tables, coffee tables, countertops, and low dressers furniture corners and edges with cushioning created for this purpose.
Decks
· No unsupervised entry to decks. Watch out for you child stacking toys/object to determine over railing.
· Purchase a Plexiglas or net barrier if there is a lot more than 2 ½ inches between railing posts.
· Put decals on sliding glass doors at baby's eye level, so he / she doesn't encounter them.
· Continue to keep baby away when in the grill. Hearthgates work nicely for this reason.
· Don't use deck furniture to reduce risk of climbing.
· Always lock all doors leading to decks.
Nursery
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, National Safety Council as well as the American Academy of Pediatrics hold the following helpful safety suggestions for your son or daughter's nursery.
· ALWAYS place your child to fall asleep on her or his back. This greatly cuts down on the risk from SIDS (Cot death) or suffocation. Because the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended back-sleeping five years ago, SIDS deaths in the us have declined by 38%.
· Remove all soft bedding-pillows, comforters, blankets and stuffed animals-from the crib to help reduce risk of suffocation. Rather than a blanket, dress baby inside a sleep sack or sleeper.
· Ensure the crib itself meets current safety standards. What this means is:
1. The slats aren't wider than 2 3/8" apart
2. The mattress is firm-not soft (foam or coil - your choice)
3. There is no gap between mattress and crib walls. Two fingers valuation on space is simply too much.
4. Corner posts are level with all the height from the end panels (just 1/16" higher for the most part)
5. There won't be any decorative cut-outs inside the headboard or footboard.
6. Top rails, when raised, are at least 26" above the mattress support in its lowest position.
7. Hardware is secure-no loose or broken screws or pieces. Recheck periodically.
8. Drop sides can not be accidentally released by way of a child. (According to the National Safety Council, the crib sides should require two separate steps release a. If this is a 1 step process, it should have to have a minimum force of Ten pounds to produce.)
9. Get a JPMA safety certification seal on newly manufactured cribs.
10. Top rails should be paid by teething guards.
· Keep blind cords, curtain pulls, décor, electrical cords and mobiles from baby's reach.
· Maintain a cool room temperature give you a recommended range to avoid overheating.
· Place baby's crib from any way to obtain draft.
· Make sure baby's fitted sheet is secured for the mattress and won't pop loose.
· Place your baby monitor in the nursery far from child's reach.
· Consider purchasing a special crib mattress that circulates air around baby. It will help avoid the "rebreathing" of skin tightening and, and that is believed to be a top source of SIDS.
· If you are using bumper pads, cause them to become tightly secured towards the sides with the cribs. Trim excess ties or straps. Straps should be loose, simple to push down to mattress and never hung through to any hardware. You do not need your child to obtain a foothold on bumper in order to climb out.
· When child is sitting up remove bumper pads and other animals or pillows minimizing crib mattress to lowest position.
· When the top of the crib rails are less than three-fourths your height or they are 36 inches tall, you need to proceed to your child bed.
· If you have a youngster who climbs out from the crib prior to the above point, consider by using a crib tent. Some parent's dislike it however the potential alternatives are far worse.
· Install finger guards on fast-closing doors.
· Anchor all furniture, cover all outlets (even ones behind crib), and install locks or window guards on all windows.
· When baby is sitting up remove all mobiles and any kind of canopy over bed as they can pose choking or strangulation hazards.
· Tend not to place heavy object on shelves or hang pictures above crib.
· Use earthquake putty on all objects placed on shelving. Use Velcro the secure base of pictures on walls - stick to wall and back of frame and it will prevent it from falling and breaking during quake.
· Use locks on sliding closet doors until baby can go in and out without pinching fingers or slamming causing glass doors to break into.
· Pick up room every evening when it is bedtime so in the eventuality of a crisis you will get for a child quickly without incident.
· When child is in toddler bed, use pressure gate in doorway to prevent child from travelling house unsupervised throughout the night. Instruct child to require you when he is awake each morning.
Fire & Health Safety
· Store fire escape ladders in every bedroom on second level and above.
· Place working fire alarms in each and every bedroom and so on every story don't forget to check on them regularly. Day light savings time is a good marker to work with look at your alarms bi-annually
.
· Install deadly carbon monoxide detectors on each degree of home near sleeping areas.
· Install gas detectors on each a higher level home near sleeping areas.
· Create and use a disaster plans. (ie. fire escape plan, earthquake plan, disaster plan.)
· Purchase disaster preparedness kits.
· Make sure all fire/smoke alarms will be in working order.
· Place the telephone number with the poison control center close to the telephone. You will have to know your son or daughter's weight to treating a poisoning. Never use ipecac unless instructed by way of a professional for this.
· Learn medical and CPR and maintain skills up-to-date.
http://bhszone.com/baby-proof-home/importance-of-baby-proofing-your-home%E2%80%99s-utility-room.html
http://bhszone.com/baby-proof-home/5-steps-to-baby-proof-your-stairs.html |
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