Child Home Safety:
Begin with the Basics

There are so many aspects of child home safety. And it’s hard to know quite where to start. So, take things step by step. The best way to start is to look at the basics in baby proofing your home.

Don’t worry about baby safety gates and safety door locks…just yet. That’s the next step.

For now, just focus on the basics...putting on electrical outlet covers, removing plastic bags, moving knick knacks and stuff like that. This page will walk you through the beginning steps for child safety in the home.

Electrical Outlet Covers

The plug-in plastic safety outlet covers are inexpensive, but come with a few drawbacks.

They are too easily removed by children. In fact, the Consumer Product Safety Commission did a study with the plug-in outlet covers and 100% of the children ages 2-4 could remove those covers on their own.

Also, they are easily lost if you take them out to actually plug something in. They are a choking hazard for your children as well. I feel there are better options on the market today, but these are certainly better than nothing.


There are two basic kinds of complete outlet covers:

1. The first kind covers the entire outlet including your plugged in cords.

   If you get the covers that enclose even your plugged in cords, make sure that it is easily removed by an adult in case of emergency.

   Do not get a cover that requires tools to remove it as you just won’t have time if you have to unplug whatever it is immediately. You need that cover to come off easily.

   And, then, of course, not too easily that your child can do it whenever they go to explore the electrical outlet.






2. The other kind of outlet cover is one that covers the openings until you want to plug something in and then you slide the cover back.

   Once you unplug your cord, the cover slides back automatically. This blocks the electrical outlet from use and little fingers.






**Don’t forget to cover the empty outlets and the cords in your surge protectors.**

Electrical Cords

• The next step in child home safety, after securing the electrical outlets, is to deal with the electrical cords. Many of the cords we have in our homes are attached to heavy pieces like lamps, TVs, stereos, etc.
  
  
  

  It’s so easy for a baby to pull a lamp, for example, down onto himself by tugging on the electrical cord.

  So, what you want to do is just get some cord bundlers or cord shorteners (good for cords the baby usually has access to like the baby monitor, etc.).

  You can also secure your cords to the furniture so the baby can’t pull them or loosen them.




• Be sure to check all your cords for holes or breaks or even kinks especially if you have a teething baby that is putting everything he can into his mouth.

  If a baby puts an electrical cord in his mouth, and there is even the littlest hole in that cord, the baby’s saliva becomes a conductor and the baby can be electrocuted or burned.







• Don’t overload your electrical outlets with a lot of cords. There is a greater chance for an electrical fire to start.

  Click here for more information on electrical fires.

Window Blinds and Curtain Cords

Hanging cords are a strangulation hazard for not only babies and young children, but even kids up to the age of 10.

Here are a few window blind safety tips: But, for more in depth information on window blind safety, click here.

• Make sure that all of your window blind cords and curtain cords are tied up and away from your child’s reach. If you can, remove all corded items from your child’s room and your home.



• Cut the cords shorter so your child has less access to them.




• Never put your child’s crib, playpen, high chair, etc near a window or curtain.


• Never put any type of furniture near a window. Children will use the furniture to stand on and reach the cords.


• Get some type of clip or cord retractor to keep the cords up high and away so that no cords are ever left hanging.


• Remove any chance of a loop forming in the cord. You child can easily put his head through that loop and accidentally strangle himself.

Plastic Bags

Plastic bags are all over our homes--dry cleaning bags, shopping bags, garbage bags, mattress bags, bags our kid‘s toys came in, and even plastic sandwich bags.

They are an important aspect to child home safety.

Plastic bags are a part of our lives. We all use them. But, they do cause a suffocation hazard for your child, so it’s important to develop a system so that they are out of the way and never accessible to your child.

Have a place where all garbage bags and grocery bags are stored in your house that is only accessible to adults. Lock the cabinets they are stored in.

When you are throwing out your plastic bags, tie lots of knots in them first.

DO NOT let your children:

• Play with any plastic bags
• Put plastic bags over their head
• Sleep on a mattress that is cover in a plastic bag
• Play in a room that has storage in plastic bags

Knick Knacks (and Paddy Whacks :) )

If your knick knack is something the baby could get hurt on or very precious to you and you don’t want it broken, put it away. Either put it up on the mantle, etc or completely away.

My second daughter would go back two or three times to touch it and then give up.

However, my son wouldn’t ever give up! He would go for whatever was on that table and battle me day in and day out.

Kids are funny and unique...and you just have to ebb and flow with them…keeping them as safe as possible along the way.

Sharp Corners and Edges

When your baby begins to pull himself up, just watch for those sharp corners on your tables and desks. If we cut the corner of our coffee table too close, we hit our shins...annoying, but no big deal. If your baby pulls himself up and hits the sharp corner of the coffee table, he's going to bump his head or worse, hit his eye.

There is a padding that you can get to go along the sharp corners and edges of your furniture. It's just like what you get for the fireplace.

You can cover just the corners of the furniture with padding, but I suggest getting the padding that covers all four edges of the table or desk. It isn't very expensive and can save your child a lot of tears.

Other Child Home Safety Tips

• Learn the Heimlich maneuver and CPR. Contact your local Red Cross to find out when the next class is.


• Have the poison control number 1-800-222-1222, 911, your doctor’s number and any other emergency numbers programmed into your home and cell phones.


• Keep a first aid kit easily accessible with emergency instructions inside.

So, again, start with these steps as you begin baby proofing and figuring out child home safety. There are more baby proofing measures along the way, but addressing the basics will get you on the right path and ready for the next few steps.

Related Articles

Chemical Safety

Holidays - Christmas

Holidays - Halloween

Poisonous House Plants

Safety Door Locks

Safety Gates

Toy Safety

Toy Safety Guidelines

Window Safety


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