Parents who own homes try their best to make their dwellings as safe as possible, especially for their kids. Yet more than 4.5 million children are injured in the home every year, according to Safe Kids USA, an organization dedicated to preventing childhood accidents and deaths. Some of the most common household hazards include fires, burns, drowning, suffocation, choking, poisoning, falls, and firearm injuries.
Most of these hazards can be remedied with simple and inexpensive solutions. Parents should lock household cleaning materials and other dangerous chemicals in a cabinet that is out of the reach of youngsters. Homeowners should check each room for potential fire hazards, including frayed electrical wires, flammable materials near heat sources, electrical cords under rugs, etc. Carbon monoxide and smoke detectors should be installed throughout the home and checked regularly to ensure that they are working properly.
To prevent dangerous falls, stairways and other hazardous areas should be blocked with baby gates. Floors should be kept free of anything that may cause tripping, like toys, shoes, and reading materials. Homes should also be well-lit in order to promote visibility and prevent falls. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (H.U.D.) recommends that parents take extra precaution to prevent drowning, choking, suffocation, and strangulation in the home. Some suggestions include:
- Never leave children alone near water, including bathtubs, buckets, swimming pools, etc.
- Use child-proof fencing around all swimming pools and hot-tubs.
- Avoid toys for children under three years of age that are smaller than two inches long and one inch wide. Toys for young children should not have small or removable parts that could cause choking.
- Avoid window blinds with looped cords. These may cause strangulation if not stored out of children’s reach.
“Child-proofing” your home often requires looking at rooms from a child’s perspective. Safe Kids USA suggests that “the best way to find dangers your child might encounter is to explore your home at her level by getting down on your hands and knees.” Checking each room for tempting objects, dangerous furniture (sharp corners, for example), and buried items in carpets like pins or coins is a good way to prevent your child from getting into trouble. Some of the most dangerous features of your home may be less obvious than others. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recently released a list of the “Top Five Hidden Home Hazards,” which include magnets, recalled products, tip-overs, windows and coverings, and pool/spa drains. (More information about product recalls and home safety is available on the CPSC’s website: http://www.cpsc.gov/.)
Despite these preventative measures, accidents may still happen. In case they do, be sure to keep emergency contact numbers visible and accessible at all times in your home. Homeowners should post phone numbers for the poison control center, pediatrician, police, fire department, emergency medical services, and a trustworthy neighbor by every telephone. It’s also a good idea to clearly post your home address next to these numbers so that anyone (including children) can tell emergency personnel where they are calling from.
Although there are no ways to control chance, it doesn’t take much to prevent many common household accidents from happening. Keeping these guidelines and suggestions in mind as you make purchases and decisions in your home can help your family have happier and safer lives.
