EVERYTHING
FOR YOUR FAMILY
KID
QUIPS
“One night, my 3-year-old asked me if she could sleep in my bed. I told her no. She said, “That’s not fair! Why does Daddy get to sleep in your bed?” READ MORE
Your Family At Home
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We’re all so careful these days. Careful to steer our kids away from strangers or from drugs or from cars that barrel down the cul-de-sac. Careful to help our children make good choices, good decisions, good friends. Unfortunately, we’re so careful about all the external factors that hover menacingly around us that we sometimes forget that the potential for peril exists where we least expect it in our own homes. It can be a downright danger zone. Accidental drownings, fire hazards and electrical mishaps are just some of the very clear and present dangers lurking within the warm confines of your comfort zone. The National Center for Injury Prevention and Control reports that more than 90% of poison exposures occur in the home, with the most common poison exposures for children being “ingestion of household products such as cosmetics and personal care products, cleaning substances, pain relievers, foreign bodies and plants.” And the Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that in 2001 there were an estimated 255,100 toy-related injuries treated in U.S. hospital emergency rooms. How can you keep your house hazard-free? Awareness and prevention are a good place to start. Read on for tips and solutions to making your home a safe home: Indoors • Be sure your rugs are secured to the floor or fitted with anti-slip pads. • Install safety gates at the top and bottom of the stairs to prevent falls. • Secure doors with knob covers and childproof locks. • Keep window blind cords high and out of reach. • Remove rubber tips from doorstops to prevent choking. • Secure bookshelves with wall brackets. • Pad the sharp edges of coffee tables and countertops. • Position televisions and computers firmly against walls. • Secure gas fireplaces with a valve cover or key. • Keep toilet covers closed. • Be sure that cleaning products, houseplants, medicines, plastic bags and any small objects that can be ingested are all kept far out of a child’s reach. • Lock away guns, razor blades and sharp tools. • Secure telephone and electrical wires. • Turn pot handles inward as you cook or place them on a back burner to be sure your child won’t reach for them. Outdoors • Inspect your play gym for rust, splinters and sharp edges. • Make sure playground surfaces are soft enough to absorb the shock of falls. • Install a climb-proof, kid-proof fence around your yard and pool. • Always supervise your child around pets, even your beloved dog. • Be sure that your garbage cans are covered. • Check regularly in cool, dark corners for coiled snakes and spiders. • Never assume that your spouse in watching the kids as they swim. • Call the gas company for regular “check-ups” to determine health risks from carbon monoxide and other harmful substances. • Secure your ladder in a safe place. • Be sure that there is no “standing” water from recent rains. • Insist that your child wear a helmet when riding his scooter, skateboard or bicycle. • Supervise your children closely as they play outdoors. • Store your barbecue grill in a safe place as it cools from use. • Never assume that a window screen will prevent a fall. Secure the windows with childproof locks. Also, your own checklist: • Are there fire extinguishers installed on every floor of your home? • Have you tested all smoke detectors within the last month and changed the batteries within the past 6 months? • Have you placed a list of emergency phone numbers near each phone? • Have you considered installing a carbon monoxide detector? • Do you have an emergency ladder for the upper floors of your house? Implement these suggestions with some careful planning and your home will be a hazard-free zone where children and adults can feel safe and secure. Good luck! Kerri S. Mabee is a freelance writer from Temecula. Important websites Check out the Internet for more information on outfitting your home for safety. Here are some important sites: American Red Cross http://www.redcross.org/ Consumer Product Safety Commission http://www.cpsc.gov/ National Safety Council http://www.nsc.gov/ U.S. Department of Health and Human Services http://www.hhs.gov/ |
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