Design Meets Protection – A Guide to Safeguarding Your Home

From the minute you bring your child home, keeping their living environment safe is the number one goal. According to Parents Magazine, household injuries are one of the top reasons kids under three visit the ER each year.

While there are varying stages in which your child will develop and require different safety precautions, it is important to look at your home as a whole and — actually — get down on your child’s eye level to discover the many safety precautions that need to be taken.

Overall tips: (Note: While some of these may sound overboard, children are fast, curious, and they want to touch and play with EVERYTHING — so it’s always best to be overly cautious!)

• Look for safety hazards in your home from your child's viewpoint.
• Use plug protectors on all unused electrical outlets.
• Install covers on electrical outlets.
• Make sure no electrical cords run underneath rugs.
• Keep rooms free of small toys/objects, plastic bags, balloons, legos, magnets, and any other items that could pose a choking hazard.
• Install smoke detectors on every level of your home and near bedrooms.
• Install carbon monoxide meters near sleeping areas in your homes if you use gas, oil heat, or have an attached garage.
• Place cushions/padding on the corners of furniture.
• Cut window blind cords or use safety tassels and inner cord stops to help prevent your child from getting caught in window blind cord loops.
• Secure furniture and large appliances to the wall so your child can't tip them over if they climb on them.

As your child practices balance they may reach for or tip over items as they learn to brace themselves. Be sure all fixtures such as floor lamps, flower pots, and small tables won’t collapse easily. Keep large, lightweight items out of your child’s reach.

This is also the time you should put safety locks on all cabinets and drawers (especially in the kitchen, laundry room, and bathrooms) that hold aerosol sprays, cleaning products, lotions, medications, and other potentially hazardous items. When in doubt, lock it out!

In addition to keeping children off the stairs, baby gates can help keep your kids from entering rooms through wide doorways. Create a space(s) where they can roam freely. The best way to do this is to block off potential areas in which they can fall, trip, or venture into. The following gates are our go-to’s in varying situations:

• An adjustable swing stair gate with extensions around any type of stairs
• Portable mesh gates as a temporary barrier when you are visiting friends or family members that don't have a child-proofed home
• Fireplace gate to keep children away from the fireplace!