| 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 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.
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.
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.
Typical cost of a safety
latch or lock: less than $2.
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." 
New safety gates that
meet safety standards display a certification seal from the
Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA). If you have
an older safety gate, be sure it doesn't have "V" shapes that
are large enough for a child's head and neck to fit into.
Typical cost of a safety
gate: $13 to $40.
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 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. 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.
Typical cost of a door
knob cover: $1 and door lock: $5 and up.
4
Use Anti-Scald Devices for faucets
and shower heads and set your water heater temperature to 120
degrees Fahrenheit to help prevent burns from hot water. Anti-scald
devices for regulating water temperature can help prevent burns.
Consider using anti-scald
devices for faucets and showerheads. A plumber may need to install
these. In addition, if you live in your own home, set water
heater temperature to 120 degrees Fahrenheit to help prevent
burns from hot water.
Typical cost of an anti-scald
device: $6 to $30.
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.
Typical cost of a smoke
detector: less than $10.
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.
Typical cost of a window
guard or safety netting: $8 to $16.
7
Use Corner and Edge Bumpers to
help prevent injuries from falls against sharp edges of furniture
and fireplaces. Corner and edge bumpers can be used with furniture
and fireplace hearths to help prevent injuries from falls or
to soften falls against sharp or rough edges.
Be sure to look for bumpers
that stay securely on furniture or hearth edges.
Typical cost of a corner
and edge bumper: $1 and up.
8
Use Outlet Covers and Outlet Plates
to help prevent electrocution. 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.
Typical cost of an outlet
cover: less than $2.
9
Use a Carbon Monoxide (CO) Detector
outside bedrooms to help prevent CO poisoning. A carbon monoxide
(CO) detector can help prevent CO poisoning. Consumers should
install CO detectors near sleeping areas in their homes. Households
that should use CO detectors include those with gas or oil heat
or with attached garages.
Typical cost of a carbon
monoxide (CO) detector: $30 to $70.
10
Cut Window Blind Cords and use
Safety Tassels to help prevent
children from strangling in blind cord loops. Window blind cord
safety tassels on miniblinds and tension devices on vertical
blinds and drapery cords can help prevent deaths and injuries
from strangulation in the loops of cords.
For older miniblinds,
cut the cord loop, remove the buckle, and put safety tassels
on each cord. Be sure that older vertical blinds and 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 child strangulation.
You can get window blind
cord safety tassels free by calling 1-800-506-4636.
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, which could be a choking hazard for young children.
Typical cost of a door
stop and door holder: less than $4.
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. 
Cordless phones help
you watch your child continuously, without leaving the vicinity
to answer a phone call. Cordless phones are especially helpful
when children are in or near water, whether it's the bathtub,
the swimming pool, or the beach. |
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