5 Home safety tips to keep your little ones safe
By Home Safety Store|April 05, 2017
Having children is one of life's greatest joys – and biggest challenges. Keeping track of children, especially toddlers, can be difficult at times, even when they are inside your own home! Also, you might think that the home is the safest place for your children but in fact home injuries are a leading source of accidental death in kids. Over in the US, 21 million medical visits and 20,000 deaths per year are the result of accidents that happen at home. And while accidents can’t always be avoided, you can take necessary precautions to minimise them as much as possible. Here are 5 key tips when it comes to keeping the kids safe:
1. Always be prepared for emergencies
As the saying goes, prevention is better than cure. No matter what you do to foolproof your home, it won't be enough if you yourself aren't prepared for emergencies. Equip yourself to be able to best handle various situations such as choking, drowning, and bleeding, among others. You can do this by reading up on these topics, stocking up on the necessary first aid supplies, and taking first aid lessons if possible. Also, always keep emergency numbers readily available for if something unfortunate happens. It is always better to be prepared than to be caught off guard.
2. Secure your windows, doors, and stairways
So many accidents involving children at home are due to them stumbling and falling down stairs, falling out of windows, and gaining access to doors that should have been off limits. Children, especially toddlers, are prone to entering spaces they can get into, which is why it is up to you to secure windows, keep doors closed, and fit stairways with security gates. Make sure any fittings or locks that you install are secure enough that children cannot open them either accidentally or by force.
3. Keep small items out of reach
Toddlers are naturally curious beings, and many of them have a tendency to put anything they find into their mouths. This is why you should keep things that are small enough for them to choke on out of reach, including toys, food items, coins, and any other items that they could get hold of. If you are leaving them unsupervised in a room, make sure there is nothing within their reach that will be harmful if swallowed.
4. Make sure chemicals and medicines are properly stored
This includes everything from cleaning materials that your children may get a hold of to medicines that should always be stored out of reach of little hands. Particularly when it comes to certain chemicals, even if your child doesn’t swallow them, they could be harmful if they get into the eyes, for instance. And remember that it’s not just cleaning products and medicines that you need to be careful with, alcohol, perfume, nail polish, etc. should also be properly stored to avoid unwanted incidents, accidents or mess!
5. Do not leave children alone near water
Here in Australia, we have strict regulations when it comes to installing pool fences, and for good reason. Children need to be watched closely at all times whenever they are near water, as it doesn’t take long for accidents to happen. This includes when they are getting a bath, playing in or near the swimming pool, and any time they are in or around a body of water. If you absolutely need to step away for a few minutes, either bring them with you or get someone else you can trust to watch over them for you. Never, ever leave them unsupervised.
Much like video baby monitors, a wi-fi security camera or a CCTV security system can be useful for monitoring your children’s whereabouts in or outside your home, as more and more families are discovering. While these systems are particularly convenient for keeping an eye on the older children, do remember that this is no substitute for actual adult supervision, especially when it comes to the younger ones, and should never be relied upon to keep your children safe around the pool.
1. Always be prepared for emergencies
As the saying goes, prevention is better than cure. No matter what you do to foolproof your home, it won't be enough if you yourself aren't prepared for emergencies. Equip yourself to be able to best handle various situations such as choking, drowning, and bleeding, among others. You can do this by reading up on these topics, stocking up on the necessary first aid supplies, and taking first aid lessons if possible. Also, always keep emergency numbers readily available for if something unfortunate happens. It is always better to be prepared than to be caught off guard.
2. Secure your windows, doors, and stairways
So many accidents involving children at home are due to them stumbling and falling down stairs, falling out of windows, and gaining access to doors that should have been off limits. Children, especially toddlers, are prone to entering spaces they can get into, which is why it is up to you to secure windows, keep doors closed, and fit stairways with security gates. Make sure any fittings or locks that you install are secure enough that children cannot open them either accidentally or by force.
3. Keep small items out of reach
Toddlers are naturally curious beings, and many of them have a tendency to put anything they find into their mouths. This is why you should keep things that are small enough for them to choke on out of reach, including toys, food items, coins, and any other items that they could get hold of. If you are leaving them unsupervised in a room, make sure there is nothing within their reach that will be harmful if swallowed.
4. Make sure chemicals and medicines are properly stored
This includes everything from cleaning materials that your children may get a hold of to medicines that should always be stored out of reach of little hands. Particularly when it comes to certain chemicals, even if your child doesn’t swallow them, they could be harmful if they get into the eyes, for instance. And remember that it’s not just cleaning products and medicines that you need to be careful with, alcohol, perfume, nail polish, etc. should also be properly stored to avoid unwanted incidents, accidents or mess!
5. Do not leave children alone near water
Here in Australia, we have strict regulations when it comes to installing pool fences, and for good reason. Children need to be watched closely at all times whenever they are near water, as it doesn’t take long for accidents to happen. This includes when they are getting a bath, playing in or near the swimming pool, and any time they are in or around a body of water. If you absolutely need to step away for a few minutes, either bring them with you or get someone else you can trust to watch over them for you. Never, ever leave them unsupervised.
Much like video baby monitors, a wi-fi security camera or a CCTV security system can be useful for monitoring your children’s whereabouts in or outside your home, as more and more families are discovering. While these systems are particularly convenient for keeping an eye on the older children, do remember that this is no substitute for actual adult supervision, especially when it comes to the younger ones, and should never be relied upon to keep your children safe around the pool.
