According to The State of Home Safety in America™ (2004) conducted by the Home Safety Council, fires and burns, choking and suffocation, and drowning are the leading causes of unintentional home injury death among children. Take the following steps to promote child safety in the home:
Child Safety Tips:
- Provide constant supervision, especially around water.
- Install baby gates at the tops and bottoms of stairs.
- Install child safety locks on cabinets to safely store chemicals, cleaners, medicines, cosmetics, and other toxic and/or caustic products.
- Purchase cleaners, household chemicals, medications and other potentially hazardous products with child resistant packaging.
- Post the national Poison Control Hotline (1-800-222-1222) and other emergency numbers next to every phone.
- Install a smoke alarm on every level of your home and near sleeping areas.
- Install toilet seat locks.
- Turn over all buckets and store them up high where they cannot collect standing water or be reached by children.
- If your home has a pool, surround it on all sides with installed fencing and a self-latching gate.
- Never leave a child unattended near standing water, even for a moment.
- Install window locks or safety guards on above-ground windows. Be sure they have a quick-release mechanism in case of fire.
- Store matches, lighters, candles and other fire tools out of children’s sight and reach, preferably in a locked cabinet.