Parents worry endlessly about how to protect their children from child abuse or abduction, but many manage to overlook one of the biggest threats to their children's safety and well being — their own home.
According to a 2006 report by Safe Kids Canada, young children, from birth to age five, are especially vulnerable to injuries in the home. More than 20,000 children each year are seen in emergency departments across Canada. That means that approximately 60 young children every day suffer injuries in the home serious enough to be taken to hospital. In Canada, the injury risk for young children peaks between their first and second birthday. Falls account for more than half of all injuries, while the highest number of deaths are due to fire.
So don't wait until disaster strikes before you think about aspects of safety for the new arrival in your home. With careful planning and a little equipment, you'll be prepared when your baby is ready to explore.
Despite the hundreds of childproofing gadgets on the market, the most important safety device is always going to be your supervision. No matter how well equipped you are, you still need to keep a constant lookout for possible dangers.
If in doubt, always take your baby with you when you go to answer the door or telephone.
General safety
Certain safety actions can be applied to every room. These are some of the approaches you can take:
• Put safety covers in all unused electrical outlets. Keep switched plugs in the off position.
• Attach cushioned corner-and-edge protectors to the sharp corners of coffee tables and desks.
• Consider the potential hazard of anything you drop into the bin. If you're using it to discard batteries, paper clips, plastic bags, or other dangerous items, place it out of reach, or in a cupboard which your child cannot open.
• Keep pens, scissors, letter openers, staplers, paper clips, and other sharp instruments in locked drawers.
• Domestic fires pose one of the greatest risks to children. Children playing with matches and lighters frequently start house fires. If you have a fireplace, keep a fire extinguisher nearby, and have it serviced or checked according to the manufacturer's instructions. Don't put objects above the fireplace which might attract your child to climb up to reach them. Keep matches and lighters out of sight and reach of children. Extinguish and dispose of cigarettes properly. Have an escape route planned, and practice it, in case of fire.
Fit smoke alarms which comply with all local fire regulations and check them regularly. Install smoke detectors in every bedroom and one near the kitchen. Check them monthly to be sure they're working, and change the batteries annually. A working smoke detector can cut the chances of dying in a fire by 50 per cent.
• Try to avoid curtains and blinds with cords — dangling cords could result in strangulation. If you do have them, tie cords high up, out of your child's reach.
• Place colourful stickers on large areas of glass, such as sliding glass doors, to prevent them from becoming “invisible.” Sash windows should always be opened from the top and fitted with locks to prevent small children from opening them from the bottom. Fix low windows so that they don't open more than five inches. Keep furniture and other potential climbing structures away from windows.
• Put non-slip pads under rugs and mats which don't already have non-slip backs.
• Use safety gates and door gates. On stairs, fit a safety gate at the top and another three steps from the bottom. This will stop your infant or toddler from climbing all the way to the top only to discover that she can't reverse the process. But remember that child safety is ongoing. The gate you put at the top of the stairs for your one-year-old may become her favourite climbing structure when she's two.
• Never leave things lying on the stairs which could cause someone to trip up. Stairs should be carefully maintained — damaged or worn carpet should be repaired or removed. Make sure balustrades are strong and do not have any footholds for climbing. Stairs should always be well lit. Every year, hundreds of children are treated in emergency departments for fall-related injuries. Once your baby starts crawling, you may also need a safety gate to keep her out of rooms which are off-limits.
• Hide lamp and appliance cords behind heavy furniture or conceal them with a special “flex holder” device. Tall lamps might topple over if your baby pulls on them, so anchor them safely behind furniture.
• Be aware of things that pinch fingers, like hinges, ironing boards and deck chairs. You might consider buying hinge protectors.
• Keep first-aid supplies in a locked cupboard, out of reach, and make sure babysitters and others know where to find the supplies in your home and how to respond in an emergency. Make sure you have poison-proofed your home to protect your children from hazardous substances.
• The incidence of burns and scalds in young children is much higher than that of older children and adults. Most scalds are caused by hot drinks being spilled. Remember that they are still hot enough to scald a child 15 minutes after being made. And never ever pass a hot drink to a breastfeeding mom — even a tiny drop of the hot liquid could scald both baby and mother.
