November Brings Child Safety & Prevention Month
10 tips to keep your child safe.
- Use safety gates. Even before your baby crawls, install safety gates to match your home and protect curious children from harm. Hardware mounted gates should be installed at the top and bottom of the stairs.
- Prepare for bedtime: Remove all soft, fluffy and loose bedding from the baby’s sleep area. This includes pillows, blankets, quilts, bumper pads, sleep positioners, sheepskins, stuffed toys and other soft products.
- Be mindful of plants. Choose decorative plants that are nontoxic. Common household plants can often cause serious sickness.
- Update your exterior. Place a welcome mat outside your home or apartment. Pesticides and other toxins may be carried inside on the soles of people's shoes.
- Keep things tidy. Storage bins offer a great way to store toys and baby supplies, preventing anyone from tripping.
- Get creative. Hand paint electrical outlet covers to blend into walls. Install door knob covers as a means to keep little hands from opening doors.
- Lock it up. Put locks on anything and everything that can open.
- Be cautious of choking hazards. Be vigilant about coins, marbles, keys, jewelry, paper clips, water bottle tops, safety pins, removable rubber tips on doorstops, jeweled decorations on children's clothing, crayons, and hard and round foods.
- Check out your furniture. Use angle braces or anchors to secure large furniture to the wall. Place TVs, VCRs and stereo systems on lower furniture, as far back as possible.
- Hot water: Set hot water heaters no higher than 120 degrees F. A lower water temperature reduces the chance of scald burns. Munchkin's White Hot Super Safety Bath Ducky can help you manage the temperature of water in your children's baths.
Debra Holtzman is an internationally acclaimed safety, parenting and health expert and the author of the best-selling book The Safe Baby (Sentient Publications). To learn more about Holtzman, visit www.thesafetyexpert.com. Munchkin, designers and innovators of more than 150 clever products, recently introduced stylish safety gates that meet both U.S. and U.K. safety standards. Browse the line at www.infantgates.com.