How to Avoid Childhood Injuries in the Home

How to Avoid Childhood Injuries in the Home

There are a lot of things that you can put in place to make sure that your home is kept as safe as possible for your children. Whether you are the proud parents of wonderful children or just have little ones visiting from time to time, you’ll want to make sure that they are as protected as possible against the risk of a serious injury.

Here are some of the things that you can do right now to cut down on the number of possible situations that could lead to injuries in your home.

Pick up small objects

If you have young children or are expecting some young ones to visit you’ll want to travel around the house and pick up any small things that have been left around that a child could put in their mouth and choke on. Kids naturally love to put things into their mouth including marbles, coins, small pieces of food, erasers and just about anything! If you see something small lying around you’ll need to get it out of arm’s reach of the little ones.

Store toxins safely

There are a lot of household products that should be carefully stored out of harm’s way. Even the dishwashing liquid that you’re currently using probably contains formaldehyde and could cause a problem if the child decides to drink a cup of it. Anything that could be potentially poisonous for your children needs to be stored under lock and key when they are young. All household cleaners except those that contain only natural products, medications, vitamins and anything else that could potentially poison a child needs to be put away carefully.

Take a look at your furniture

If you have any heavy furniture that could easily be tipped over it needs to be secured to the wall. Children have been seriously injured by trying to climb a pantry in the kitchen only to have it topple over and land on top of them. Look at your bookshelves, pantries, entertainment systems and any other large furniture pieces that could potentially fall over and get them secured today.

Use the stove wisely

Use the rear element as much as possible so that children are less prone to get burned if they accidentally place their hands on top of the stove. If you do need to use the front element for any reason make sure that any pot handles are facing inwards so that they can’t be knocked over by children flying through the kitchen in a Superman outfit.

Keep a fire extinguisher accessible

Did you know that most homes don’t even own a fire extinguisher? This is one of the things that is just as important to own as a smoke alarm. If you suddenly find a fire breaking out in your kitchen you’ll be able to handle it quickly and perhaps save your house.

In the kitchen there should be two types of fire extinguishers: one for a grease fire and one for a regular type of fire that can be extinguished with water. Pouring water on a grease fire will only make the problem that much worse. There are special fire extinguishers available that contain the chemicals needed to put out a grease fire immediately.

Use these childproofing methods to help keep your home a safe and sane environment for your children. One simple childhood injury can change the life course for your child, you and the rest of your family. Prevention is everything when it comes to the safety of your kids and you can keep them safe by putting in these preventative measures right away in your home.