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Hello. Welcome to HealthiNation. I’m Robin Wilcox, Program Director of SafeKids Wordwide.
Bringing home a baby is one of the most exciting times in your life, but it can be a little
challenging to make your home childproof for a curious little one. Every year in the United
States, more than 3 million kids are injured in the home, and 2 million are babies or toddlers.
Whether you have an infant or a toddler, there are simple things that you can do around the
home to make it safer for your little one. First, make sure all rugs are secured to the
floors or have a non-slip pad underneath. Take a look at the doors in your house, put
doorknob covers on doors that shouldn’t be opened, especially the front door to the
house. You should also install finger pinch guards
on frequently used doors. Double check the paint on your walls. Make
sure there’s no peeling or cracking. Make sure bookshelves are bolted to the wall
or are weighted properly so that they don’t tip over if your child tugs on them.
Keep blind cords tied up and secured high If you have stairs, make sure you have a safety
gate on both the bottom and the top of the stairs and make sure you buy a safety gate
that fastens to the wall with hardware. Use protective padding on all corners of furniture,
staircases and countertops. Now, let’s look at the kitchen. Hot surfaces,
sharp objects, appliances with hanging cords. You’ll need to spend some time in here making
sure that everything that could be harmful is out of reach.
First, use safety latches and locks on all cabinets or drawers that your child might
be able to get into. This is especially important when it comes to places where you keep household
cleaning supplies, alcohol, or other potentially toxic materials.
Keep sharp objects, like knives, forks or scissors, away from the edge of countertops
or store them away. Make sure you have a stove lock and *** protectors
installed, so your child doesn’t accidentally turn the stove or oven on.
You can also install a stove guard to prevent your child from reaching the burners.
Keep small objects like refrigerator magnets out of reach.
Use outlet covers and outlet plates on any outlet your child could possibly touch.
Unplug appliances that aren’t in use. Make sure to tuck appliance and phone cords away
so they are out of reach. Next up, the bathroom.
Put any sharp objects like tweezers or razors behind a locked cabinet along with medications,
cosmetics, toiletries and cleaning supplies. Never leave your child alone in a bathroom.
Do you know a child could drown in just and inch of water?
And if the phone rings, don’t run to get it. Let the machine pick it up.
The toilet should stay closed with a toilet-lid lock installed.
Again, cover any outlets and make sure all electrical appliances, like hairdryers are
unplugged and stored away.