Childproof Your Home
 

Think your home is child-safe?

It probably isn't as safe as it could be. Consider this:

Half of all childhood injuries occur in the home.

• More than 1,000 children die from ingesting poison.
• Over 4,000,000 children go to the hospital after ingesting poison or medications found in the home.

Here are some safety tips to childproof every area of the home.

Kitchen

• The kitchen can be one of the most hazardous areas for children. Large appliances, kitchen tools and poisonous chemicals are not only fascinating discoveries for children, but are often on "kid-level."
• Locked drawers and kitchen doors are your best preventive measure. A drawer full of kitchen utensils is a dangerous find for little ones. And many homeowners store poisonous household chemicals and pesticides under the sink, easily accessible to children. Special locks can be added to cabinet handles, as well as the inside of drawers.
• There are many types of inexpensive locking devices available. Cabinet locks feature a button on the side and on the front that must be pressed simultaneously to release the serrated plastic strips that are fed through the cabinet door handles and then through the lock.
• Tot lock is a metal locking device that is placed inside the cabinet door. A special magnet is pressed inward on the outside of the door to release the lock. 
• To prevent the risk of burn injuries, take a good look at the stove. Purchase knob covers to lock the controls and always keep hot pans on the back burners with the handles pointed away from the edges. Knob covers are a plastic cover that surrounds the stove control and keeps it from being turned. Keeping hot drinks away from countertop edges is yet another way to prevent burn injuries to your child.

Living Room

• Get down to the child's level to see the room from his/her perspective. Take a good look at items on the floor. Are they potentially hazardous? Be aware of electrical cord placement. Make sure the cords are away from toys or other items that would attract a child. Cords should be secured to prevent tripping.
• Corner guards should be applied to sharp edges of tables to prevent injuries to toddlers who are just learning to walk.
• Stairs are often very dangerous for children. A certified child gate (not a pet gate) should be secured to the strongest part of the top and/or bottom of the stairs. All banisters and railings should be checked for sturdiness and repaired as necessary.

Nursery

• Slats on the crib should be no greater than 2-3/8" apart to prevent the child from slipping their head through and becoming trapped or choked.
• There should be room for no more than 2 fingers' width between the mattress and the crib frame. This will prevent the child from rolling into the space.
• Inexpensive plastic outlet covers are a safety necessity to protect children from putting their fingers in the outlet. Add outlet covers to all open, unused outlets throughout your home.

Windows

• Don't leave long cords on blinds or curtains. A child can become entangled and choke. Window cord "wind ups" can be purchased which will store excess cord out of reach of a child.
• Use window guards to prevent windows from being raised more than 5 inches, through which a child could fall.

Bathroom

• Keep the toilet lid down or the door locked. A toilet guard can be purchased for around $5.  An adhesive clamp goes on the top lid and is connected to a locking mechanism attached to the toilet bowl.
• Never leave a child unattended in the bath tub. Use bath mats to prevent slipping. Consider putting non-slip bath tub stickers on the bottom of your tub to prevent slipping.

For more information on child safety, our "Be Alert" child safety program, how to take a DNA sample from your child, or having your child fingerprinted, visit www.cityofmesa.org/police/crime_prevention/child_safety.aspx.