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How do I childproof my house?
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Small children see the world different than you. In order to fully childproof your home, you need to get down on a child’s level to see what they see, so that you can see the dangers and do what it takes to correct them. Some good general starting points:
- Post emergency numbers, including police, fire, ambulance, doctor’s number, emergency room and poison control in a central location, such as a refrigerator.
- All outlets should have cover plates and outlet covers. Leave appliances unplugged when you’re not using them.
- All bedrooms and hallways should have smoke detectors.
- All windows should have window stops that are easily removed by an adult (in case the window needs to be used as an exit in an emergency).
- All cords to window blinds should be out of reach or cut in half to prevent strangulation.
- All doors should have hook-and-eye latches installed in case you need to keep a child out of that room. Take off door locks on bathrooms and bedrooms to prevent children from accidentally locking themselves in the room.
- All cabinet and cupboard doors should also be latched.
- Keep all detergents, chemicals and drugs out of reach.
- Install lid locks on your toilets.
Turn down your water heater to prevent scalding (120º F or less).
- Keep step stools in a latched closet.
- Contain your trash in a bin with a lockable lid.
- Keep houseplants out of reach.
- Use safety gates to contain children in the room with you. Place safety gates at the bottom and top of all staircases.
Use bumpers on furniture corners.
- Secure your bookshelves, media shelves, curio cabinets and entertainment cabinets to the wall to prevent heavy pieces of furniture from topping over onto children.
- Keep all matches and lighters out of the reach of children.
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