Intro to Childproofing Your Home - 12 Safety Devices to Protect Your Children

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.

Any safety device you buy should be sturdy enough to prevent injury to your child, yet easy for you to use. It's important to follow installation instructions carefully. In addition, if you have older children in the house, be sure they re-secure safety devices. Remember, too, that no device is completely childproof; determined youngsters have been known to disable them.

You can hire a professional childproofing service to babyproof your home or you can do it yourself, effectively and less expensively. Safety devices can be purchased at hardware stores, baby equipment and specialty 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.

1 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.  They also help prevent tots from using drawers as a stepstool to countertops.

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. Even products with child-resistant packaging should be locked away, out of reach; this packaging is not childproof.

2 Use Safety Gates to help prevent falls down stairs and to keep children away from rooms or areas that are unsafe for baby. Look for safety gates that children cannot dislodge easily, but that adults can open and close without difficulty. For the top of stairs, install gates that screw to the wall.  Pressure style gates should not be used at the top of the staircase.

Look for safety gates that meet safety standards display a certification seal from the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA). If you have an older safety gate, such as an "accordian" style gate, be sure it doesn't have "V" shapes that are large enough for a child's head and neck to fit into.  Be wary of hand-me-downs.  When in doubt, throw it out!

3 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 unsafe rooms  such as bathrooms, laundry rooms, adult bedrooms, and the outdoors.

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.  To prevent access to swimming pools, door locks should be placed high out of reach of young children. Locks should be used in addition to fences and door alarms. Sliding glass doors, with locks that must be re-secured after each use, are often not an effective barrier to pools.

5 Use Smoke Detectors on every level of your home and near bedrooms to alert you to fires. Smoke detectors are essential safety devices for protection against fire deaths and injuries.

Check smoke detectors once a month to make sure they're working.  If detectors are battery-operated, change batteries at least once a year or consider using 10-year batteries.

6 Use Window Guards and Safety Netting to help prevent falls from windows, balconies, decks, and landings. Window guards and safety netting for balconies and decks can help prevent serious falls.

Check these safety devices frequently to make sure they are secure and properly installed and maintained. There should be no more than four inches between the bars of the window guard. If you have window guards, be sure at least one window in each room can be easily used for escape in a fire. Window screens are not effective for preventing children from falling out of windows.

7 Use Corner and Edge Cushions to help prevent injuries from falls against sharp edges of furniture and fireplaces hearths. Be sure to look for corner and edge cushions that fit securely on counters, furniture and fireplace hearths.

8 Use Outlet Covers and Outlet Plates to help prevent electrical dangers. Outlet covers and outlet plates can help protect children from electrical shock and possible electrocution.

Be sure the outlet protectors cannot be easily removed by children and are large enough so that children cannot choke on them.  Covers that replace the existing wallplate and that swivel or reclose automatically to cover the outlet are considered safer than individual caps.

9 Use a Carbon Monoxide (CO) Detector outside bedrooms to help prevent carbon monoxide poisoning. Also install CO detectors near primary utility areas, such as basement or garage, that contain your furnace, a wood or gas stove or water heater.  If you heat your home with gas or oil or have an attached garage, be especially vigilant as these situations are particularly susceptible to the buildup of carbon monoxide.

10 Cut Window Blind Cords; use Safety Tassels and Inner Cord Shorteners to help prevent children from strangling in blind cord loops. Safety tassels will cause window blind cords to break apart if they are pulled by a child. Cord shortening devices allow you to wind up the excess cord from vertical blinds and drapery cords and can help prevent deaths and injuries from strangulation in the loops of cords. Another simple device is a cord cleat. It attaches to the window frame and you just wrap the cord around it. 

For older miniblinds, cut the cord loop, remove the buckle, and put safety tassels on each cord. Be sure that older vertical blinds and other window treatments with drapery cords have tension or tie-down devices to hold the cords tight. When buying new miniblinds, verticals, and draperies, ask for safety features to prevent the risk of strangulation.

11 Use Door Stops and Door Holders to help prevent injuries to fingers and hands. Door stops and door holders on doors and door hinges can help prevent small fingers and hands from being pinched or crushed in doors and door hinges.

Be sure any safety device for doors is easy to use and is not likely to break into small parts. Look for those that feature one-piece styling since they do not have any small pieces that can break off which could be a choking hazard for young children. 

12 Use a Cordless Phone to make it easier to continuously watch young children, especially when they're in bathtubs, swimming pools, or other potentially dangerous areas.