Follow these safety steps to make your home safer for your family.

Burn, Fire & Electrical Safety

Safety Tips for Parents:

• Protect all electric outlets.
• Smoke detectors should be checked regularly and replaced every 10 years.
• Unplug all heat producing appliances when not in use. Don't leave hot appliances within a child's reach.
• Have a certified electrician replace any broken outlets or frayed cords.
• Be sure that plugs are inserted completely into receptacles so that no part of the prongs are exposed.
• Extension cords should only be used for temporary solutions and must be rated for the voltage of the appliances plugged into them.
• Make sure that portable heaters are stable and they are at least 3 feet away from anything flammable - consult owner's manual for additional safety guidelines. Never leave a child unattended with a portable heater.
• Turn down hot water heater to 120 degrees Fahrenheit or below to prevent hot water scalds.
• Never leave anything cooking on the stove or in the oven unattended. Small fingers can slide around the oven door into hot crevices while in use. Stove guards can be installed to prevent children from reaching the stovetop when a parent must cook on one of the front burners.
• Secure fireplaces with an appropriate gate. Make sure that gas fireplace keys are removed and out of reach from small hands.

Choking, Suffocation, and Strangulation

Safety Tips for Parents:

• Use a CPSC small object tester or empty toilet paper roll tube to identify the size of objects that could be choking hazards.
• Any thin, plastic material can be a suffocation hazard; i.e. dry cleaner, garbage and retail plastic bags, cellophane, latex balloons. Discard or recycle these items properly.
• Jump ropes, drawstrings on clothing and jewelry can pose a strangulation hazard.
• Install cordless window coverings in young children's bedrooms and play areas. If blinds must be used in a child's room, make sure cords meet today's safety standards and are secured high up out of child's reach.
• Move all cribs, beds, furniture and toys that could be used for climbing away from windows and window cords, preferably to another wall.
• Recliners have been involved in entrapment injuries.

Drowning and Water-Related Safety

Safety Tips for Parents:

• Keep doors to bathrooms closed and consider a toilet lid lock for all toilets.
• Remove standing water in any receptacle, including pet bowls. A professional babyproofer can recommend a simple solution to accommodate pets.
• Never leave children unattended in bathtub, and remove water from bathtub before leaving bathroom with the child.
• Secure swimming pools with a professionally-installed fence. Consider an installed door alarm on all doors having access to swimming pool area.
• Keep a cordless phone and a safety pole by the pool.
• CPR training and adult supervision are vitally important with use of swimming pools.

Safety from Falls

Safety Tips for Parents:

• Do not use pressure gates at the top of stairs. Instead, a hard-mounted child safety gate approved for stair use should be used at the top and bottom of stairs.
• Use safety belts with high chairs and strollers.
• You should assume that your baby can roll over as soon as he is born and never leave baby alone on an elevated surface, including changing tables and beds.
• Do not use baby walkers; instead, use a stationery activity station.
• Provide low, sturdy step stools for children to use at sinks.
• Use rubber non-skid backing with throw rugs.

Poison Safety

Safety Tips for Parents:

• Store medicines in original containers.
• Don't take medicine in front of children.
• Store medicines up high, and consider storing in a locked medicine box or cabinet.
• Never call medicine or vitamins candy. Remember that vitamins can be toxic to small children.
• Anything that is not intended for a child to ingest may be a potential poison. Check labels on cleaning and other household products. If there is a warning for children and pets, consider that substance a harmful poison. Some of these products may also leave a harmful residue on household surfaces; and make sure that crawlers and oral children enjoy frequent hand washing, especially before eating.
• Learn about common poisonous houseplants from your local poison center.
• Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas. CO detectors should be installed on each floor of living space, especially near sleeping areas, and according to manufacturer instructions.
• Keep the number for The Poison Control Center posted by each phone. 1-800-222-1222

Safety from Tip Overs

Safety Tips for Parents:

• TV's should be placed on stable TV stands appropriate for the size of the TV and placed out-of-reach from children. If a TV or other AV equipment is within the child's reach, consider the use of approved safety straps to secure TV to stable furniture.
• Many new flat-screens come with restraints that should be used.
• Furniture restraints reduce, but do not eliminate, the risk of tip over.
• Remove unstable furniture and wall art from a child's environment.
• Teach children not to climb on furniture.
• Don't place items that a child might climb for high up; i.e. toys or rewards.

Out and About

Safety Tips for Parents:

• Check that there is a protective surfacing under and around playground equipment to reduce the severity of fall-related injuries.
• Make sure that children are supervised at the playground and using age-appropriate equipment.
• Always follow safety instructions on store shopping carts, securing children with safety harness or belt and not allowing children to ride on or inside the cart inappropriately.
• Never place an infant car seat on the seat portion of a shopping cart. There is not a latching mechanism to hold the car seat in place. A simple shift in weight can cause the seat to topple. Instead, place the baby in a safe baby carrier and wear your baby, use a stroller to safely transport baby, or place baby inside the large portion of the cart and use the under portion of the shopping cart to store shopping items.

For additional safety tips and professional childproofing services, contact
Safe Steps Childproofing, Inc.