Is Your Home Right For Your Kids?

If you have kids or if you are expecting to be new parents you will want to make sure you prepare your home for your kids. That’s right, when you have children in your home, there are some things you need to do to ensure that they are safe and comfortable in your home. Children are prone to injuries, so you need to make sure your home is set up in a child-friendly way to ensure they are safe and do not get hurt. Every year, thousands of children are hurt in their own homes, and in most instances, their injuries would have been prevented if some simple steps were taken by their parents. 

Window Safety Inspection

If you have a home that has windows you will need to inspect every one to make sure you can keep them closed. Kids, being so young, are naturally very curious and they tend to get themselves into trouble. A child may be interested in exploring a window and this could be very dangerous if you have not done a proper inspection of your windows. When you inspect them you will want to make sure they are not accessible by children. Usually, windows are higher up and children cannot reach them, however, if you have furniture near your windows, children may be able to reach them by climbing the furniture. To make sure this cannot happen, you should make sure that your furniture is not placed in a way that would make the window accessible for the child. Also, consider getting baby proof locks for your windows to make sure they cannot accidentally open the windows by themselves.  

Eliminate Slippery Floors 

Children are prone to slips and fall and it can often be challenging for them to walk on slippery surfaces. Kids like to run and if they run on wood flooring or laminate they can often slip because the surface does not offer much traction. One way to prevent slips and falls is by adding more traction to your floors. Products like microcement offer nice looking floors that have good traction. You may be thinking that it is expensive to change your floors, however, according to CARRcrete in their blog post “How Much Does Microcement Cost”, you can expect to pay as low as $80 per square meter of microcement. Considering that microcement offers lots of traction and will help keep your children safe, it really may be a worthwhile investment. 

Carbon Monoxide Protection

If you are introducing a young one into your home this is a good time to make sure all your carbon monoxide detectors are working properly. Carbon monoxide poisoning results in thousands of deaths every single year and they are all preventable deaths. The importance of having a working carbon dioxide detector is especially important when you have a young child in your home. Small kids and infants are much more susceptible to the detrimental effects of carbon monoxide and it is important that every precaution is taken to protect your children. 

Hazardous Chemical Storage 

Before you have children in your home, you would not think it was hazardous to leave tide pods on the counter or window cleaners somewhere on the floor. However, when you introduce children into your home, you must be very careful and properly store any products that contain hazardous ingredients. As previously mentioned, children are very curious by nature. Unfortunately, children also love to put things inside their mouths to help them learn about the world and help ease the pain during teething.  Products such as tide pods, dishwasher detergents, and window cleaners can be attractive to all young children. You should make sure that these products are all stored in areas that are not accessible to children. The storage place should be located high above the ground, and ideally, it should have some sort of childproof lock. It may sound extreme, but every year thousands of children suffer serious injuries due to ingesting hazardous products. If you want to make sure children in your home are protected make sure you put away products with hazardous chemicals. 

Baby Gates 

If you have a small infant in your home, you will want to make sure you have baby gates around any staircases in your home. Staircases can be a very dangerous place for children as they may slip and injure themselves. Installing secure baby gates will help prevent children from falling down the stairs. Make sure you put the gates at the top and bottom of every set of stairs that your child has access to, As your children get older they will grow stronger legs and they will be able to use the stairs on their own.

Outlet Protectors 

Make sure you keep your children safe by putting electrical outlet plugs or protectors in any unused electrical outlets. Children like to play with things and they will even play with electrical outlets. Covering unused outlets with a plastic plug is a cheap and easy way to protect your child from being electrocuted. 

There are many ways that your child can be injured in your home. If you have a child in your home or if you are expecting a newborn baby, there are some important things you should do to your home to make sure it is safe. Remember that young children like to explore and they are prone to accidents. There are many things in your home, both big and small, that can lead to injuring your children. Some things might not seem as obvious as others and it is important to consider all possible ways you can create a home that is safe for your child. Check your windows to make sure they are not easily accessible to your children and make sure they do not open easily. Remember to use electrical outlet plugs to prevent electrocution and always store products with hazardous ingredients in a secured cabinet. When you are introducing a baby into your home it is also a good time to inspect the working condition of your carbon dioxide monitors and smoke detectors, in most cases all they need is a new working battery. Creating a safe place for children in your home can be challenging and time-consuming but it is also necessary. If you want to protect the children in your home make sure you remember the tips mentioned above.