In our previous safety article, we talked about keeping things safe for your child while you are out. Today we want to look how making where they spend most of their time, your home, safe. Some things are basic safety features that you might still have from when they were little, others are different as they still need to be kept safe while they are older and bigger.
We’ve tried to not be “scary” but take a realistic look at what we went through, and how we solved some of these problems.
Our oldest was a wanderer when he was little. He liked to go outside on his own and get into things he shouldn’t. He also liked climbing and exploring, which are good things except when he got into things that could be potentially harmful. These were big safety concerns for us. And we had to – quickly – figure out how to protect him from his own self.
Safety Gate
We installed safety gate inside the house to keep our son in certain areas and away from others. One was on his bedroom door. He had free range of his room and everything in it, but it kept him from getting up early in the morning or after he had been put to bed and getting into things he shouldn’t. It was easy for us to see in and for him to see out. We could also hear if he called for us or if there was a noise we needed to check on.
A big part of why we put the safe gate, or sometimes called a safety fence, on his door was that his room was on the second floor, and the stairs were designed in a way which couldn’t support a safety gate there.
Staircase Safety
Safety gates on staircases are important too. In our current house we have a safety gate installed at the top of the staircase that remains locked whenever our youngest son is home. In our previous house we had a spiral staircase with big gaps between the rails on the sides so we installed netting on the sides for safety and a safety gate on our son’s bedroom door, since all the bedrooms in the house were located upstairs. My parents installed plastic boards on their standard staircase between the rails to keep kids from falling through or getting stuck.
Securing Doors
Our oldest son figured out early on how to open and unlock doors. He was a wanderer and as a result we couldn’t let him play outside by himself. We also had a staircase outside one door that went up to the roof, so we installed deadbolts on all doors going outside. We ended up installing the type that required a key to open the deadbolt from both inside and out. As a precaution, we kept a key near the front door in case of an emergency and we didn’t want to have to look for a purse or keys that were put down.
Sliding glass door locks, while not common, can also be installed for safety.
Cabinets
We didn’t want our sons getting into things like cleaning chemicals or things with sharp edges, like our blender. So we purchased safety locks to keep him from opening low cabinets, which we had several of in our kitchen and bathroom. Make sure you purchase the correct type for your cabinet. Some can be screwed in on the inside and you push them down to open. These are best for single cabinet doors. For double doors you can purchase a loop style or sliding style depending on what fits your cabinet best.
Safety Straps
Safety straps weren’t common when my youngest was born, however now you can easily find them online. My son was a climber, so we had to bolt our bookcases into the wall and straps were unnecessary for the older televisions. However these days things are made much lighter and are easier to pull over, so you can install safety straps to keep children from pulling down television sets or bookcases.
Outlet Covers
Outlet covers are always the first things people think of when childproofing a home. These are good for keeping inquisitive children from potentially electrocuting themselves. Children love playing with electrical outlets, luckily outlet covers are very inexpensive and an easy safety measure to install.
Corners
My kiddos never watch where they are going. My oldest runs all over the house and brushes against edges and my youngest loves to spin in circles and occasionally tips over almost falling into furniture. The corners of furniture and fireplaces are places where little ones can injure themselves if they are sharp. You can purchase furniture corner guards or bumpers to reduce the impact.
Pool Gates
Approximately 350 children under the age of five drown in pools each year nationwide. It is important to put a gate around your pool. It should be tall enough to keep your little one from climbing over, but you should either be able to see over it or through it to make sure everyone is safe. Alarmed gate locks are also available for extra security. Some states now mandate this safety feature, so check with your state’s laws to stay compliant.
Safety Kits
Many times you can purchase a safety kit that includes many of these items. This is a great way to save money.
