{"id":5184,"date":"2021-09-01T09:21:21","date_gmt":"2021-09-01T16:21:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.realtyexecutives.com\/blog\/?p=5184"},"modified":"2021-09-01T09:21:22","modified_gmt":"2021-09-01T16:21:22","slug":"how-to-make-home-a-safer-place-when-living-with-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.realtyexecutives.com\/blog\/how-to-make-home-a-safer-place-when-living-with-kids","title":{"rendered":"How to Make Home a Safer Place When Living with Kids"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"A<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that\nabout <\/a>9.2 million children<\/a> have to visit the\nemergency department for an unintentional injury each year. Unfortunately, the\nCDC also states that injuries are the leading\ncause of death for children in the US and Canada, too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Children are curious, easily distracted, and more prone to\ninjury than adults are. So, it\u2019s important to take extra precautions to keep\nthem safe, even in the home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thankfully, most of the accidents mentioned in the CDC\u2019s\nresearch are preventable with the right approaches to safety. Here\u2019s what you\nneed to know to minimize risks and make your home a safe and hazard-free space<\/a>\nfor kids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

7 Steps to Make Your Home Safer for Kids<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

1. Secure Your Windows<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You may love your windows for the fresh air and light they\nlet into your home. But alas, they can pose a major danger to your children.\nWindows present a range of hazards for younger family members, ranging from\nfalling to window cord strangulation, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can prevent window falls by adding locks and window\nguards to all windows on the second and third stories of your home. These\nmeasures are more effective than window screens, which are designed to keep\ninsects at bay but not to prevent a child from falling. It\u2019s also recommended\nthat you avoid placing children\u2019s beds, furniture, cribs, and sofas near windows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Roller, accordion, or shutter window coverings are the\nsafest options for families with younger kids as they don’t have cords that can\ncause strangulation. If you have cords, cut them as short as possible, or put\nthem out of reach of your children. You can use a retrofit kit to keep window\ncords attached to the wall so that your kids cannot play with them or become\nentangled accidentally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Prevent Unexpected Falls<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While windows are a primary falling hazard in the average\nhome, they certainly aren\u2019t the only one. Falls are the leading cause of\nnon-fatal injuries in children, so it\u2019s crucial to improve your home safety and\nreduce your kids\u2019 risk of falling wherever possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can start by adding guards and bumpers to children\u2019s\nbeds, and, if necessary, select low profile furniture. Use anti-slip maps at\nthe shower and bathtub, and wall-mount safety gates at the tops and bottoms of\nstaircases. Avoid accordion style gates which can trap children\u2019s necks and\nheads!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whenever you place a child in a highchair or another piece\nof furniture designed specifically for them, use all the safety mechanisms and\ntraps included by the manufacturer. Always keep your eye on them when they are\non or near a tall surface in your home and be sure that you are close enough to\ncatch them should they inadvertently fall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Child Proof the Furniture in Your Home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The sharp edges and hard materials of most pieces of\nfurniture can pose all kinds of unwanted injury risks to children. You can make\nyour home\u2019s furnishings safe for your kids by taking a few simple steps,\nstarting with anchoring large pieces of furniture like bookshelves and TV\nstands to the wall. This will prevent them from falling over and onto a playing\nchild if it gets bumped or climbed on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next, remove all objects that may tempt your kids to climb\ntall pieces of furniture and reach high shelves. Store snacks, treats, toys,\nand books within their reach, or stash these items away in a locked cupboard if\nnecessary. Replace your old box TV with a lighter flat screen model that\u2019s\nmounted to a wall or TV stand out of your children\u2019s reach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Avoid purchasing glass-top furniture, which can easily break\nand lead to dangerous lacerations and other emergency injuries. Finally, add\nedge and corner bumpers to furniture at child height, such as nightstands,\ncoffee tables, and counters, to protect your kids from running into sharp\nedges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Cover Electrical Outlets<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Electric shock is a severe and potentially deadly injury to\nyounger children, and it must be avoided at all costs. This is simple enough to\ndo. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Purchasing and fitting plastic coverings to your electrical\noutlets will prevent your children from trying to stick utensils, toys, and\ncurious fingers into them. Additionally, take care not to leave power cables\nplugged in while not being used. If you\u2019re charging your laptop while working\non an online project <\/a>or need to charge your phone, don\u2019t leave these\ndevices, their chargers, and plugs unattended, either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Use Doorknob Covers and Locks<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The interior and exterior doors, sliding doors, and cupboard\nand cabinet doors of your home should all be child proofed. This will protect\nyour kids and prevent them from entering rooms and storage areas in which they\ncould be in danger. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doorknob locks and covers can bar your kids from opening\ndoors without your knowledge and wandering onto the balcony<\/a> or into the front yard. It also\nstops them from entering hazardous areas like a storage closets containing\nsharp gardening tools or cleaning products. \nLocks are also essential in securing\nthe pool area<\/a> from children and pets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Lock Medication Cabinets<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You should always store medication and medical supplies out\nof reach of children. Kids could easily mistake pills for sweets and ingest\nthem. Store your medications in high-up, locked cabinets and hide the key in a\nlocation only you know about. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Never leave your medicine unattended on a surface that your\nkids can reach, such as a nightstand or kitchen table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. Create a Strategically Safe Play Zone<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

To keep kids entertained and safe during playtime, design a\nsafe and hazard-free play area for them. When setting up their playground\nequipment, like play sets and trampolines, ensure that these items are far away\nfrom walls, trees, power lines, rocks, and other objects and surfaces that\ncould cause harm. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trampolines are a major cause of injuries to children<\/a>, and\nshould be fenced or netted to reduce accident risks. Keep your trampoline\nproperly maintained and follow all manufacturer safety measures when setting it\nup. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some homeowner\u2019s insurance carriers will cover play sets and\ntrampolines, so check with your insurer<\/a> to ensure that you\nhave cover for accidents and injuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prevention is the Best Option<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s natural to expect your family home to be the safest\nplace for your children, but this isn\u2019t always the case. It\u2019s essential to take\nthe right safety precautions to keep your kids safe and prevent avoidable\ninjuries and emergencies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take the steps mentioned above to secure hazardous parts of\nyour home and keep your children happy and safe while they play, explore, and\ngrow.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that about 9.2 million children have to visit the emergency department for an unintentional injury each year. Unfortunately, the CDC also states that injuries are the leading cause of death for children in the US and Canada, too. Children are curious, easily distracted, and more prone to … Continue reading How to Make Home a Safer Place When Living with Kids<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[774,4530,782,419],"tags":[432,700,59],"yst_prominent_words":[2292,1339,1272,1574,5199,1221,546,540,5196,1343,5205,1297,5207,4523,3132,1567,5206,1565,5197,983],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.realtyexecutives.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5184"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.realtyexecutives.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.realtyexecutives.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.realtyexecutives.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.realtyexecutives.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5184"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.realtyexecutives.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5184\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5186,"href":"https:\/\/www.realtyexecutives.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5184\/revisions\/5186"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.realtyexecutives.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5184"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.realtyexecutives.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5184"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.realtyexecutives.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5184"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.realtyexecutives.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=5184"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}