Is Your Home Safe for your Baby?
About 2−1/2 million children are
injured or killed by
hazards in the home each year. The good news is
that
many of these incidents can be prevented by
using
simple child safety devices on the market today.
You can childproof your home for a fraction of
what it
would cost to have a professional do it. And
safety
devices are easy to find. You can buy them at
hardware
stores, baby equipment shops, supermarkets, drug
stores, home and linen stores, and through mail
order
catalogues. Here are some child
safety devices that can help prevent
many injuries to young children. The red numbers
correspond to those on the image following the
text.
-
Use Safety Latches and Locks
for cabinets and
drawers in kitchens, bathrooms, and other
areas to help
prevent poisonings and other injuries.
Safety latches and
locks on cabinets and drawers can help
prevent children
from gaining access to medicines and
household
cleaners, as well as knives and other sharp
objects.
Look for safety latches and locks that
adults can easily
install and use, but are sturdy enough to
withstand pulls and tugs from children.
Safety latches are not a
guarantee of protection, but they can make
it more
difficult for children to reach dangerous
substances.
Typical cost of a safety latch or lock: less
than $2.
-
Use Safety Gates to help
prevent falls down stairs and to keep
children away from dangerous areas. Safety
gates can help keep children away from
stairs or rooms that have hazards in them.
Look for safety gates that children cannot
dislodge easily, but that adults can open
and close without difficulty. For the top of
stairs, gates that screw to the wall are
more secure than "pressure gates."
Typical cost of a safety gate: $13 to $40.
-
Use Door Knob Covers and
Door Locks to help prevent
children from entering rooms and other areas
with
possible dangers. Door knob covers and door
locks can
help keep children away from places with
hazards,
including swimming pools.
Be sure the door knob cover is sturdy enough
not to
break, but allows a door to be opened
quickly by an adult
in case of emergency. By restricting access
to potentially
hazardous rooms in the home, door knob
covers could
help prevent many kinds of injuries.
Typical cost of a door knob cover: $1 and
door lock: $5 and up.
Continued...
Babies First Year
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