Home Safety Tips for Children

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This post was sponsored by SelectBlinds.com as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central.

When your friends call you Safety Susan, you know that your focus on safety is showing. I was a parent educator before I had children of my own. I taught parents and child care providers about child development, positive discipline and how to keep your child safe and healthy. I learned all the statistics about preventable childhood injuries and I learned steps that can be taken to childproof your home to keep your children safe. There are so many everyday household items that can be dangerous for active, curious children. They spend most of their life in your home, so it’s vital that it’s a safe place. These 9 home safety tips for children are critical to help you provide the safest home environment for your children to live in and grow up in. 

With so many everyday items in and around our home that can be hazardous for our children, as responsible and loving parents, it’s important for us to take the time to make our homes safe for our children to flourish in. Routine, common household items, like water, stairs and blinds, can be dangerous to our children as they move around, explore and learn in our homes. 

Home Safety Tips for Children

1. Cover electrical outlets and secure cords – When children are first becoming mobile, electrical cords and outlets are right at their eye level. Children naturally want to explore and with outlets and cords right in their line of sight, children will be attracted to those dangers. Inexpensive outlet covers and a few minutes spent securing cords will keep your child safe from this hazard. 

2. Secure water hazards – According to the CDC, children ages 1 to 4 have the highest risk of drowning. If you have a pool, secure it so that your child absolutely cannot get to the pool unattended. Secure your toilet lid because children have been known to drown in the water standing in the toilet. Look around for other sources of standing water, even a pet water bowl can be a danger. 

3. Prevent scalding and burns. Each day children are burned by water that is too hot. Lower the temperature on your hot water tank to 125º or less to prevent scalding. Always turn pot handles towards the wall so that children cannot pull hot pots on the stove down on them. Even steam from food on the stove or in the microwave can be a danger. Take steps to make sure food and drinks are cool enough for children.

4. Secure appliances and furniture to the wall – Children are curious. They will climb on appliances, TVs and furniture. These heavy items can easily tip over on top of children and injure them. You can purchase straps and braces to secure large furniture items or appliances so that they cannot be tipped over on top of a child. 

5. Secure medicines and cleaning supplies – Children learn about the world through their senses. They are curious about items they encounter and will often swallow poisonous cleaning supplies and medicines that harm them. Put all medicine and cleaning supplies on an upper shelf or in a locked cabinet to prevent harm. Be aware that many medicines are colorful and look like candy to a child. Even over-the-counter medicine can be harmful to a child when ingested without supervision. 

6. Go cordless on window blinds or secure cords out of reach of children – Each year 20 children die of strangulation by the cords of window coverings. This is entirely preventable. SelectBlinds.com is the first custom window covering provider to go 100% cordless with its products in March of this year.

SelectBlinds.com wants to educate and empower families to keep children and pets safe through the #GoCordless Movement. You can nominate family and friends for the Project Cordless giveaway. Each month, SelectBlinds.com, in partnership with Parents for Window Blind Safety in Project Cordless, is offering a giveaway to upgrade an entire home, apartment, military housing unit or childcare facility with all new cordless window coverings for free. You can learn more about #GoCordless and nominate someone for the  giveaway at www.selectblinds.com/gocordless.html#ProjectCordless .  Winning a free upgrade to cordless window coverings for an entire home or childcare facility is an amazing gift you can give today.

Additionally, never place cribs, beds or highchairs near a window or window covering with a cord. 

7. Secure second floor or higher windows – You can prevent children falling from upper story windows by installing window safety guards.  Curious children will explore opening and closing windows and can then easily fall out of the window. There a a variety of window safety guards options available; select the one that is best for you.  

8. Install safety latches – Children learn by exploring their surroundings and that means opening and exploring cabinets, closets, and closed doors. Use safety latches on cabinets and doors to make sure that your child is protected and his or her environment is kept safe. In the time you turn around to take a dish out of the oven, you child can be into a cabinet or through a door. Safety latches are a backup safety precaution to your supervision. 

9. Install safety gates – I can’s say this enough – children learn by exploring. They don’t know that something is dangerous; hey simply have the innate drive to explore. Keep your children away from dangerous situations, like stairs or an older sibling’s room, by using safety gates. A safety gate will help keep your child in the environment you have safety-proofed and away from hazards. While you are always alert and supervising your child, an accident can happen in the blink of an eye. Safety gates are an additional layer of safety for your child. 

With just a little time and the knowledge of potential hazards, you can stay one step ahead and keep your children safe with these home safety tips for children Who will you nominate for the Project Cordless Giveaway?