Are Your Children Safe In The Home?
The home is somewhere where everyone should be able to feel as safe as possible, regardless of how old or young they are. For your children in particular, however, it is probably usually best to do everything that you can to ensure that they are as safe as possible. Many parents are often surprised by just how difficult this can actually be to achieve. But no matter what your home is currently like, it is always fairly easy to make the right improvements so that it becomes as safe as you need it to be. In this article, we are going to discuss some of the most essential things that you should consider if you want your child to be as safe as possible in the home. Some of these are obvious, but things you might forget, while others are less known. One thing is for sure: they are all worth bearing in mind. Let’s take a look.
Fire Hazards
You might be surprised at just how common fires are in the homes across the world. In fact, fire is the number one type of disaster in the home, and as such it is clear that you should do everything you can to keep your home safe from the possibility of fire. The majority of fires are the result of carelessness, so as long as you’re sensible and keep your wits about you, you should find that you are able to avoid having any fires in your home. Of course, this might be easier said than done, but following some basic precautions is likely to help hugely. Above all, make sure that you don’t leave any electrical items turned on for extended periods of time, especially if you are not going to be there. This is the easiest ways to cause a fire accidentally, so it is vital that you don’t do it. Also be careful with the oven or stove, and never leave it unattended for any period of time, especially if your children are in the kitchen. You should also make sure that you keep a fire extinguisher and blanket in your kitchen, just in case. Finally, remember to keep the batteries in your smoke alarm stocked, as this could save your child’s life.
Dangerous Materials
Even in the ordinary average home, you might be surprised at how many chemicals and other dangerous materials you can find. Some of these are necessary, as they might be cleaning products and so on, but you still need to be careful about them. Others are not quite as essential, and you might need to look into getting rid of them. For those cleaning chemicals and so on, make sure that you keep them locked away somewhere where your children can never reach them. This will help protect them against any particular disasters. It is also a good idea to check your home professionally for any unwanted dangerous materials, and have them dealt with. You might be surprised at just how many homes need asbestos removal done, but if yours is one of them you definitely want to make sure that you do it.
Small Objects
You can find small objects everywhere, as a part of pretty much anything, and any new parent will tell you what a stressful thing it can be to try and keep watch of all the small objects around the home. When you are baby proofing the home, you will probably want to make sure that you go around and check everything that you have for all objects, and put anything like this out of the reach of your children. The last thing you want is for them to choke on anything, as the results there can be fatal and immediate.
Testing The Water
When you are running a bath for your child, you should be sure to always check the temperature with your elbow before letting them in. This is a well-known way of ensuring that the temperature is acceptable, as the elbow roughly feels the same as their skin. You might be surprised at just how easily they can get scalded, and that is why you should make sure that you are always checking the water before they get in. Even a scald can be extremely painful for a young child, and it can also harm their skin a surprising amount too. Although this is not one of the more serious problems in the home, it is still important to make sure that you do it, as you don’t want your child’s skin to be scalded if you can help it.
Lock The Windows
Something else which proves to be surprisingly common in homes everywhere is babies and young children falling out of windows. Strangely, even though the danger is obvious, we often forget about windows as being a hazard, but if you want to look after your child then you will need to ensure that you are locking them at all times. This is especially the case for higher windows, as you of course don’t want your child to fall from a great height. If they do, the damage that they could suffer might be great, so you should definitely make sure that you do everything you can to prevent that from happening. As well as locking them, put a childproof lock on them as well, just to be double-sure that they can’t find their way out accidentally.
The Stairs
The last thing you want is for your child to fall down the stairs – and yet this happens a lot, being another one of the most common injuries that children experience in the home. In order to protect your children around the stairs, you should do everything you can to ensure that they can’tfall can’t fall. Fortunately, this is easily achieved simply by installing stair guards. These gates can stop your children from clambering up the stairs – or worse, falling down the entire flight. Follow this advice, and your child should be much safer in your home at all times.