8 Essential Child Home Safety Precautions

A recent study reported that about 2000 children below 14 years succumb to home injuries each year.

Most of these deaths result from injuries such as drowning, suffocation, burns, choking, falls, poisoning, and firearms. Based on the age of your child, every space in your home is potentially hazardous for your child.

Child Home Safety Precautions

Homes should be a haven for kids. Yet, the rising statistics of accidental deaths at home prove otherwise. As your children grow, explore, and learn, it’s your responsibility to make your home as safe as possible.

Achieving absolute child home safety is almost impossible. However, you need to take the necessary steps to promote safety in the home.

Here are eight essential child home safety precautions to ensure your little one is safe.

1. Declutter Your Child’s Sleeping Area

Parents tend to fill their babies’ rooms and especially the crib with a variety of pillows, blankets, and soft toys. Unfortunately, infants can pull these items towards themselves as they don’t have control over what they do. The things on the baby’s bed can lead to suffocation.

Ensure that you have tucked the bedsheets and blankets securely. Keep away the toys from the bed. You can put the toys next to the bed while teaching your baby why they shouldn’t be sleeping with their teddy bears.

2. Avoid Leaving Your Baby Alone in the Water

Did you know that one in five Americans who drown to death are kids below 14 years? Worse still is that for every child who succumbs to drowning, another five are taken for the emergency department after sustaining nonfatal submersion injuries. Yet, it’s not surprising for parents to leave their children unattended in the bathtub.

Babies love playing in the water, and as a parent having them in the tub for longer isn’t a big deal. Nonetheless, leaving them unsupervised for a minute can lead to grave consequences. A baby can drown within seconds!

3. Put the Small Items Away

Choking in kids is one of the most common accidents that occur at home. Toddlers often put every small item in their mouth. One of the child home safety tips that you need to consider is putting small and miniature items away from children’s reach.

Other than the toys, children can have even food items lodged in the throat, leading to choking. You should ensure that the food you give to your young one is small enough for easy swallowing. While at it, keep things like pins, marbles, coins, or even buttons away from the babies.

4. Childproof Your Wires and Electrical Outlets at Home

Children are highly inquisitive. Electrical outlets and plug points can prompt kids to try inserting their fingers or items, which can be a hazard. They can also try to put other unattended cables and devices.

These scenarios can be fatal for your baby. You need to start ensuring that there’s proper grounding for your electricity besides covering all the sockets. You can educate your young ones on the dangers of electricity as you wouldn’t always be there to monitor their activities.

5. Keep Chemicals and Cleaning Solutions Out of Reach

Given the alluring odor of most cleaning solutions at home, a child can unknowingly consume or inhale harmful products. Household products are poisonous, and kids who swallow the solutions can succumb if you don’t take the necessary measures as soon as possible.

You might need to have cabinet guards on all cabinets where you store fertilizers, chemicals, and cleaners. Keep the products on their original containers and label if necessary. The medicines should be further out of reach and with a lock.

6. Secure Areas Such as Stairways and Windows and Keep Doors Locked

Accidental falls among children are common causes of injuries at home. While you’ll see to it that your home is safe, you need to check out refills for first aid kits to have a fully equipped kit. Children tend to fall now and then, and one of the child home safety tips to consider is having the basic first aid knowledge.

It would be best to start by installing safety guards in the balconies and staircase. You can further ensure that you have all your windows locked, especially if your child is in the upper stores. Discourage your young ones from playing near patio doors or windows as they can fall.

7. Get a Smoke Alarm

Fire is arguably one of the most dangerous home hazards. Despite the risk of burning, the smoke makes one suffocate, which can lead to unconsciousness. With a smoke alarm, you’ll be in a better place to detect a fire outbreak and counter it before it escalates.

With a smoke alarm, you’ll be better positioned to get everyone out of the house. The alarm detects the smoke early enough, which allows you to get out of the house and call for help.

8. Ensure That Your Children Are Safe With the Pet

Half of the 5 million people bitten by dogs in the U.S. every year are children. Considering that a significant number of American households have dogs and cats as pets, understanding child home safety around pets is essential. Children should know that pets are friendly and cuddly, but they can be potentially dangerous when provoked.

Pets can react to ear or tail-puling, which some kids tend to do without realizing that they are provoking the animal. You might want to teach your children to treat the pets gently to avoid bites. You should warn your child against being near a growling pet, which is a sign that the animal is aggrieved.

Following These Child Home Safety Precautions Can Save You From Several Accidents

Children are curious, and the need for exploration can land them in trouble. From potential burns to falls, kids are exposed to a range of home injuries. As parents, you have a considerable role to play to ensure that kids remain safe, in and out of the house.

With a few checks, maintaining child home safety is plausible. Limiting the discovery phase shouldn’t be an option. Instead, consider making your home safer for your young ones.

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