Parenting Blog

Door Knob Covers and Door Locks:

Can help keep children away from places with hazards, including swimming pools.

Make sure the knob cover allows the door to be opened quickly by an adult in case of emergency.

Door locks should be placed high, out of reach of young children.

Locks should be used in addition to fences and alarms.

Window Guards and Safety Netting for balconies and decks can help prevent serious falls.

Window Blind Cord Safety Tassels on vertical blinds and drapery cords can help prevent deaths and injuries from strangulation in the cord loops.
For older blinds, cut the cord loop, remove the buckle and put safety tassels on each cord. Be sure older blinds and drapery cords have tie-down devices to hold the cords tight.

Outlet Covers and Outlet Plates can help protect children from electrical shock and possible electrocution.  Make sure that they cannot be easily removed by children and are large enough so that children cannot choke on them.

Corner and Edge Bumpers can be used with furniture to prevent injuries from falls by softening sharp edges.

YOUNG CHILDREN CAN BE KILLED WHEN  FURNITURE TIPS OVER

Place TV’s on lower furniture and as far back as possible.

Use angle braces to secure furniture to the wall.

Children will climb on a lower drawer that has been pulled out, using it as a step.

Use latches on lower drawers to ensure they cannot be opened by young children.

Drawstrings on children’s clothing and nightwear can cause strangulation.

Drawstrings can get caught on playground equipment or cribs.

Remove drawstrings from hood and neck areas of outerwear such as sweatshirts and jackets.

POISONINGS

Keep all medicines, vitamins and household cleaning products locked away from children.

Child resistant packaging is not child proof.
Keep poisonous plants out of children’s reach.
If you need assistance call :

Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222

MORE TIPS

Babies use their mouths to learn about the world

Keep tiny objects, such as small balls, marbles and balloons, out of reach of your baby.

Smooth, round objects present the highest risk for choking.

Uninflated balloons and balloon pieces can easily be inhaled and block the windpipe.

About 2-1/2 million children are injured or killed each year, due to hazards in the home.

Many of these incidents can be prevented by taking steps to make sure that your home is safe and that you follow age appropriate recommendations for each stage of your child’s young life.

There are many devices available to help prevent injury, along with using common sense. Remember, nothing is completely safe and eyes must be on the children at all times. It only takes a blink of an eye, a turn of the head, for an incident to occur.

Bringing Home Baby

Most  important, ALWAYS  put your baby on his/her back, on a firm, flat, tight-fitting mattress, to sleep.
More infants die or are injured in crib accidents than any other nursery item.
Remove all pillows and soft, loose bedding from the crib.  These items can cause suffocation.

The Crib

Never use a crib that has missing slats or loose hardware.

If you repaint the crib use only high quality lead-free paint.

Use a mattress that fits tightly:  If you can fit more than 2 fingers between the edge of the mattress and the crib side, the mattress is too small.