How to Make Your Home a Safer Place for Children

You just bought a new home, great. But how safe is it for the youngest members of the family, especially if there are babies or toddlers in the house. Thousands of children or killed or seriously injured due to household accidents every year. A few points to consider to make your home a safer place;

1.
Check all the windows, especially those on a higher floor. Make sure all the windows are unbroken, and can be locked. Check all the screens to make sure that they are securely installed. When opening windows, which of course many of us like to do, to bring a breath of fresh air into the home, be extremely cautious if young children live in the house. Consider installing child safety bars; do not think that a screen will prevent a child from falling from an open window. Never leave a window open in a room where a child is unattended.

2.
Electric sockets can be appealing to small children, and are a hazard that many parents do not consider. Purchase child proof covers for every outlet in your home that can even possibly be considered within your child's reach. These are readily available at most hardware stores and are very inexpensive to purchase.

3.
Keep all household cleaning products in a locked cupboard well out of a child's reach. Even seemingly innocuous products such as spray air fresheners can be potentially fatal if swallowed. If you allow your children to help you with house cleaning do not allow them to use these products, give them simpler, safer tasks such as sweeping or dry dusting.

4.
Medicines are another source of many tragic household accidents involving children. All medicines, even vitamins and so called "natural" supplements should be kept well away from a child's reach, and for that matter, a child's sight. Many medications are brightly colored and to a child's eyes look very much like candy.

5.
For the safety of all family members, young or old, ensure that you have both smoke and carbon dioxide detecting alarms throughout the house. More importantly, check them regularly to make sure they are working. Many people have these things installed in their homes but in an emergency they fail to work because the devices contain old batteries that have never been checked or replaced. Make a note to perform a monthly test of every alarm in your home.