According to the U. S. Consumer Products Safety Commission, 2.5 million children are injured in the home yearly, some fatally.If you are reading a blog on grandparenting, you must
have decided to make your grandchildren a priority in your life, so maybe it’s
time to walk around your house and make it more grandchild-friendly.
The first thing we have to do is take a notebook and
walk around our homes. I am not suggesting that you get down to their level as
is often suggested. We don’t want to childproof our homes and throw out our
backs at the same time. Look at every aspect of your home and ask yourself, “What
kind of trouble can my curious little one get into here?”
Here’s some areas to look at:
- 1. If there are rooms in your home that it would be easier to keep the doors closed than try to childproof the entire room, put a doorknob cover on the knob for that room.
- 2. Open each cabinet (even if you think there is no way that your grandchild could reach it) and see what is in it. We obviously want to see if there is anything in there that could poison the child if ingested. If there are, consider putting all those items in one locked cabinet.
a. Medicines
b. Iron
pills: children throw up blood and have bloody diarrhea if ingested.
c. Cleaning
products such as drain openers, toilet cleaners, rust removers and oven
cleaners can cause chemical burns
d. Nail
glue remover and nail primer; some contain cyanide. The primer can cause burns
to the skin
e. Gasoline, kerosene, lamp oil, motor oil, lighter fluid, furniture polish, and paint thinner.
f. Pesticides
g. Windshield
washer solution is poisonous to humans, both little and big.
h. Antifreeze
causes kidney failure and death if ingested.
i. Wild
mushrooms... if you can’t tell if they are poisonous or not, remove them from
the yard.
j. Alcohol,
both medicinal and recreational; alcohol can be found in mouthwash, facial
cleaners, and hair tonics.
k. Glow
sticks
l. Mercury
(found in thermometers)
m. Mothballs
n. Silica
gel (those little packets found in new shoes, etc.)
- 3. Install safety locks on all the cabinets that have these items in them. DON’T use the ones from the dollar store! This is a time when spending more is worth it.
- 4. For medications, take them from the side of your bed and put them under lock and key. I know they are probably in child-proof containers, but children are very resourceful, so why take the chance?
- 5. Lock up all sharp objects: knives, scissors, razors, knitting needles, sewing needles
- 6. Install safety gates and window guards: all stairways need to be protected, using gates or doorknob locks (basement). As for windows, make sure the shade winders are secured and out of reach.
- 7. Lower the hot water temperature to under 120 degrees and use anti-scald devices on the faucets.
- 8. Cover electrical outlets
- 9. Look at the furniture in your home and see what kind of danger it might pose.
a. Could
it fall over? Regularly when I was young I would open the drawers in the
dresser to try to reach something above it. I frequently had that dresser fall
on me.
b. Does
it have sharp edges? There are pads that can be attached.
c. Is
there something on the table that could fall on the child?
d. Is
the tablecloth on the dining table long enough to be pulled on by a curious
toddler. If so, what is on that table that could fall?
e. Fasten
bookcases to wall.
f. Look
at all your lamps. Are there cords a child can pull and knock the lamp over? Are
there torch lamps that can be pulled over?
- 10. Kids love water. Make sure there is no standing water and that the toilet has a lock.
- 11. Ensure you have a hearth cover for the fireplace and the tools are secured away.
- 12. Make sure that your staircases are clear. You would not want to trip on anything with an infant or toddler in your arms.
- 13. Keep all coins out of reach.
- 14. Button batteries for hearing aids are extremely small and easy to swallow and choke on.
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