Child Safety Devices

It has been said that as many as 2.5 million children will be injured every year from simple hazards that can be found in the home.

While this may be alarming, this statistic is good to know because injuries and accidents that happen in the home can be prevented, if you know how to do so.

By ensuring your home is fully equipped with all of the necessary child safety devices, you will be ensuring that your child does not become one of those statistics.

These devices do not simply apply to toddlers and babies, every child in your home needs to be protected.

Safety locks and latches are used in your kitchen drawers and cabinets. Use them wherever you have sharp objects like knives or scissors, or wherever you keep chemicals, poisons, or toxins.

Even the spice rack or cupboard should have a lock or a latch on it. These are useful anywhere in the house where you have hazards your child could expose themselves to.

The medicine and liquor cabinets for example should be locked at all times.

Safety gates are standard tools in most homes that have a baby or toddler, but it does bear repeating.

Safety gates will prevent your child from a fall down the stairs, or from any dangerous area.

If you have a room that you keep hazardous chemicals or machinery in, a safety gate for its entrance is a smart idea.

Pressurized safety gates are good for stairwells, as they will not be easy to push or pull down.

You also want to avoid purchasing gates that have a V shape on it, these are a lot of fun to try and stick your head through when you are teensy sized.

When buying your gate, look for the seal from the Juvenile Product Manufacturer Association. Choosing the right child safety gate.

Door locks and door knob covers will prevent your children from entering forbidden rooms or other places in your home where there may be hazards.

Places like these may include the tool shed, swimming pool area, or even any area where you can not monitor 24/7.

Door knob covers should be sturdy enough to prevent them from breaking, while still allowing access for adults in the event that an emergency arises.

Door locks are useful for swimming areas, and should be placed high enough so children can not reach them.

These child safety devices are used for your shower head and your sink faucets.

Anti-scald devices will set the temperature of your water heater to 120 degrees Farenheit to ensure burns from hot water won’t occur.

By regulating the temperature of your water, you make sure that burns in your home are prevented.

Little fingers and hands enjoy the discovery of running water and taps and faucets with fancy buttons.

Installing a smoke detector in your home will not only prevent injuries and loss due to fire, but it will probably save you money on your house insurance as well.

You should have these installed on each level of your house and most importantly, near the bedroom areas.

It is also important to ensure that these detectors are working through monthly checks. A smoke detector will prevent nothing if its batteries have run out or it has malfunctioned.

Edge Protectors are standard devices to protect children, but many homes still go without.

Protectors and bumbers will protect your children should they fall against anything with a sharp edge in your home – coffee tables, end tables, desks, tables, counters, fireplaces, the list is endless.

If you have a fireplace, look for bumpers specifically designed for hearth edging , as these will provide the most benefit towards safety protection.

For obvious reasons, outlet covers and plates will prevent your child from being electrocuted.

You want to ensure that covers are easily removed so that adults or older children can access the outlet, but not too easily removable so that small fingers can’t claw at them.

You would be surprised, there are some covers and plates on the market that even adults struggle with.

More on outlet covers and plates.

Parents know how important smoke detectors are, but often do not pay attention to the needs for carbon monoxide detectors.

You only need one in your home and it should be installed near the bedroom areas as well.

Carbon monoxide detectors will prevent poisoning from carbon monoxide fumes.

Carbon monoxide is an odorless colorless gas and is known as a silent killer, so unless you have one installed, you may never know about this hazard until it is too late.

If you use oil or gas heating, carbon monoxide detectors are especially important.

Long fancy strings and ropes are a lot of fun for little ones, and if you have blind cords, you should have these removed to prevent accidental strangulation.

You can install safety tassles or tension devices on drapes and blinds in order to prevent these tragedies.

These child safety devices can be purchased on their own, or, if you are purchasing new blinds or drapes, look for those that already come with these features.

Door holders and stoppers are handy tools that will prevent injuries to children’s fingers and hands.

Door stoppers and holders will make sure that little hands or fingers do not get pinched in doors or in hinges.

For doors , you want to make sure the device is not breakable or likely to become a choking hazard if it breaks off.

This is only a list of the most common child safety devices on the market. These are all very easy to find in any local hardware store or online.

Make sure that any device that you purchase is sturdy but easy to use. It is important to follow all instructions for installation perfectly to see that your device is installed properly.

If you have older children at home, you can teach these children how to use the devices as well. However, there is no better child safety device than mom or dad.

There is no device that comes entirely childproof, so keep an eye on your children while protecting them with these in-home safety features at the same time.

Child Toy Safety

Child Electrical Safety

Child Fire Safety

Child Home Product Safety

Child Poison Safety

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