Are your children at risk?
If you are a parent and have children, then read closely to what we are about to discuss. Your children are precious to you and they mean everything.
How sad would it be if an accident happened that could have been avoided?
- Did you know that children between the ages of 1 and 4 are more likely to be killed by fire, burns, drowning, choking, poisoning, or falls than by a violent stranger?
- Did you know that almost 2.3 million children are accidentally injured every year?
- Did you know that 2,500 kids are killed each year in home accidents?
The facts are that many child emergency injuries and deaths could have been avoided by child-proofing the home ahead of time.
Here are a few home child proofing tips to help you begin immediately:
Fire and Burns
- When cooking, use the stove’s back burners.
- Always turn pot handles toward the back of the stove so little kids don’t grab them and pull them down on themselves.
- Keep towels and oven mitts off of the stove top or adjacent counter top. Little kids can move these so they catch fire on the stove.
- Hide all matches and lighters in locked drawers or cabinets.
- Do you have a fire place? Use a guard door to keep kids from getting to close and burned. Did you know that the number one reason kids get burned by fireplaces is getting so close that their pajamas catch fire?
- Are you getting a wood stove? Can you install it in the basement where it is out of reach from little hands and fingers?
- Do you have a wood stove? Install baby gates to prevent them from entering the room when you are not there.
- Check your water temperature before putting a baby in the tub. Set your water heater to 120 degrees or install an anti-scald device to the end of the bath spout and sink faucet.
- Make sure that you have WORKING smoke detectors in each child’s bedroom and outside of their room as well. Change those batteries each year.
- Install a carbon monoxide detector in your home if you have any wood burning or gas appliances.
Poison
- Have a fire extinguisher handy in the kitchen and near the fireplace or wood stove. Fire extinguishers contain toxic chemicals, so mount it on the wall or on a shelf so children can’t play with it.
- Store all medicines and supplements out of reach in a locked cabinet. Remember even a baby aspirin or vitamin supplement overdose can kill.
- Keep all chemicals in a locked closet or cabinet away from curious infants.
- Do you have safety latches on all cabinets and drawers? If not get them now!
- When in debating if something is poisonous or not, assume it is poisonous and store it accordingly.
- Believe it or not kids eat plants. Many plants are poisonous, so keep all plants out of reach of your kids.
Drowning
- Install a lock on your toilet lids, so a child won’t drown.
- Never leave a child alone in a tub. It only takes a few seconds for a child to die or get brain damage.
- Did you know a baby can drown in as little as 1″ of water?
- Do you have a swimming pool? Make sure all kids wear flotation devices.
- Never leave children in a pool without adult supervision.
- Install a self closing gate to prevent kids from accessing pools or hot tubs.
- Install safety covers on all pools and hot tub spas when not in use.
- Install an alarm on the gate so you are notified if any unauthorized child enters the pool or hot tub area.
Falls
- Do you have stairs? Invest in a baby gate!
- Do you have a trampoline? Don’t let kids use the trampoline unsupervised.
- Install a safety net wall around your trampoline to prevent children from falling off.
Electrocution
- Block all unused electrical outlets with child safe blanks so that little fingers don’t get zapped.
- Make sure you have GFCI outlets installed in every bathroom and kitchen area. This will protect your children in case an electrical appliance ever falls into water. Remember you may be eligible for a discount when your home is rewired.
- Unplug all electrical appliances and devices when not in use. Do not leave hair blowers or curling irons plugged in on your sink top. Remember that water and electricity don’t mix!
This list is just the beginning. Take the time to walk your home and view it through the eyes of a inquisitive small child. You may be surprised what potential accidents you may prevent!
We hope you found this article helpful. If you have any questions about your homeowners policy, reach out to us today.