Home Safety

Safety in the home is essential. If you are watching your own younger brothers or sisters, or babysitting, being cautious is important to their safety.

Preventing Poisoning

Accidental poisoning can occur when a child ingests medications, cleaning products, alcohol, cosmetics, or other toxins. Many well-meaning adults fail to recognize how toxic certain substances can be and leave them in accessible places. Protect your child from the dangers of poisoning by following these rules:

Medications

• Store all medications - prescription and nonprescription - in a locked cabinet, far from children's reach.
• Never leave vitamin bottles, aspirin bottles, or other medications on the kitchen table, countertops, bedside tables, or dresser tops. Small children may decide to emulate adults and help themselves.
• Never tell a child that medicine is "candy."
• Take special precautions when you have houseguests. Be sure their medications are far from reach, preferably locked in one of their bags.
• Don't keep aspirin or other medicines in a pocketbook; children may find them when searching for gum or a toy.
• Child-resistant packaging does not mean childproof packaging. Don't rely on packaging to protect your children.
• Always keep pills and liquids in their original containers.
• Never administer medication to a child in the dark: you may give the wrong dosage or even the wrong medication.
• After taking or administering medication, be sure to reattach the the safety cap, and store the medication away safely.

Cleaning Products

• Store household cleaning products and aerosol sprays in a high cabinet far from reach. Don't keep any cleaning supplies under the sink, including dishwasher detergent and dishwashing liquids.
• Never put cleaning products in old soda bottles or containers that were once used for food.
• When you are cleaning or using household chemicals, never leave the bottles unattended if there is a small child present.
• Never put roach powders or rat poison on the floors of your home.
• Keep hazardous automotive and gardening products in a securely locked area in your garage.

Alcohol

• Don't leave alcoholic drinks where children can reach them. Take special care during parties - guests may not be conscious of where they've left their drinks. Clean up promptly after the party.
• Keep bottles of alcohol in a locked cabinet far from children's reach.
• Keep mouthwash out of the reach of children. Many mouthwashes contain substantial amounts of alcohol.

Lead Paint

• If you have an older home, have the paint tested for lead.
• Do not use cribs, bassinets, highchairs, painted toys, or toy chests made before 1978; these may have a finish that contains dangerously high levels of lead.

Other Items

• Never leave cosmetics and toiletries within easy reach of children. Be especially cautious with perfume, hair dye, hair spray, nail and shoe polish, and nail polish remover.
• Learn all the names of the plants in your house, and remove any that could be toxic.
• Discard used button-cell batteries safely, and store any unused ones far from children's reach (alkaline substances are poisonous).

Preventing Burns

Burns, especially hot water burns (scalds), are some of the most common childhood accidents. Babies and children may be more susceptible to burns than adults are: they're curious, they're small, and they have sensitive skin that needs extra protection. Use these burn-prevention tips when your children are in different parts of the house, the car, and the great outdoors:

Bathroom

• Set the thermostat on your hot water heater to 120 degrees F or lower. A child can be scalded in 30 seconds if the temperature is only 5 degrees higher. If you are unable to control the water temperature (for example, you live in an apartment), install an antiscald device. This will slow water from tub spouts to a trickle if it reaches a certain temperature.

Kitchen/Dining Room

• When cooking, always turn pot handles toward the back of the stove. Don't hold a baby or small child while cooking.
• If you have to walk with hot liquid in the kitchen (like a pot of soup or cup of coffee), make sure you know where your child is, so you don't trip over him.
• Never drink hot beverages or soup with a child sitting on your lap.
• Avoid using tablecloths or large place mats. A small child can pull on them and overturn a hot drink or plate of food.
• Block access to the stove as much as possible.
• Never warm baby bottles full of milk in the microwave oven. The liquid may heat unevenly, resulting in pockets of milk that can scald your baby's mouth.
• Fireplaces and wood stoves must be screened. Radiators and electric baseboard heaters may need to be screened as well.

Outdoors/In the Car

• Use playground equipment with caution. If it is very hot outside, use the equipment only in the morning, when it has had a chance to cool down during the night. 
• Children can get burns from hot vinyl and metal, so remove your child's safety seat or stroller from the hot sun when not in use. If you must leave it in the sun, cover it with a blanket or towel.
• Before leaving your parked car on a hot day, hide the seatbelts' metal latchplates in the seats to prevent the sun from hitting them directly.

Preventing Choking

Putting things in their mouths is one of the ways that babies and small children explore the world. Anything that fits can be a danger. Choking is usually caused by food, toys, and other small objects that can easily lodge in a child's small airway. Pay special attention to the following to prevent your child from choking:

Food

• Don't give a child under age 4 any hard, smooth foods that can partially or completely block the windpipe. These include nuts of any type, sunflower seeds, watermelon with seeds, grapes, cherries with pits, raw carrots, raw peas, raw celery, popcorn, and hard candy.
• Some soft foods can also cause choking because they are the right shape for blocking a child's windpipe. These foods, including cheese cubes, hot dogs, sausages, grapes, and caramels, can be served if they are chopped into small pieces. Spoonfuls of peanut butter and chewing gum should also be regarded as potential choking hazards.
• When babies begin eating solids, beware of foods like raw apples and pears, which may be difficult to chew without teeth (or with just a few teeth).
• Be sure to keep the caps for bottles of chocolate syrup and pancake syrup out of young children's hands. Children may try to lick the sweet drops out of the caps, which can become lodged in the airway.
• Encourage children to sit when eating and to chew thoroughly. Teach them to chew and swallow their food before talking or laughing.
• Never let children run, play sports, or ride in the car with gum, candy, or lollipops in their mouths.
• Be especially vigilant during adult parties, when nuts and other foods might be easily accessible to small hands. Clean up early and carefully, and check the floor for dropped foods that can cause choking.

Toys

• Always follow all manufacturers' age recommendations when buying toys. Some toys have small parts that can cause choking, so heed all warnings on a toy's packaging.
• Never buy vending-machine toys for small children; these toys do not have to meet safety regulations and often contain small parts.
• Check toys frequently for loose or broken parts - for example, a stuffed animal's loose eye or a broken plastic hinge.
• Warn older children not to leave loose game parts or toys with small pieces in easy reach of younger siblings.

Balloons and Other Small Objects

• Never give balloons to a child younger than age eight. A child who is blowing up or chewing on a balloon can choke by inhaling it. Inflated balloons pose a risk because they can pop without warning and be inhaled.
• Safely dispose of button-cell batteries.
• Encourage children not to put pencils, crayons, or erasers in their mouths when coloring or drawing.
• Don't reward small children with coins.

Preventing Drowning

Infants and small children can drown in only a few inches of water. Protect them from danger by providing constant supervision whenever they are near water:

Bathtub/Bathroom

• Never leave a baby unattended in the bath. If you must answer the telephone or door, don't rely on an older sibling to watch the baby; wrap your baby in a towel and bring him with you.
• Stand guard over a bathtub that is filling with water.
• Don't use a bathtub seat with suction cups. The seat can overturn and flip a baby headfirst into the water.
• Install a toilet-lid locking device.
• Never leave a small child unattended near a bucket filled with any amount of water or other liquid.

Pool Area

• If you have a pool in your backyard, install fencing at least 4 feet high on all sides of the pool. Install a self-closing gate with a lock that is out of a child's reach.
• Don't leave children unattended by a pool, wading pool, or hot tub - even for a moment.
• Flotation devices like water wings and inflatable rings can give a false sense of security in the pool. Never use these as a substitute for constant adult supervision.
• Dump out all water from a wading pool when you are finished using it.
• Remove any ladders from an above-ground pool.

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