Kidproofing Your Home

After years of settling for less than you need, want or deserve, you have decided to build your dream home. This new place will usher your family through many milestones, including birthdays, graduations and holidays, and also the day-to-day activities that eventually turn a house into a home.

Every now and then, a harsher reality crashes into your idyllic refuge, though. If not properly planned, a home can be a dangerous place, especially for young children.

According to the Washington, D.C.-based National SAFE KIDS Campaign, nearly 3 million children under the age of 15 are injured in the home every year. Approximately 2,600 children die from their injuries. More than 80 percent of those children are under the age of five.

Some of the most common household injuries for children include falls, poisonings, burns, suffocation, and drownings in toilets, bathtubs and swimming pools.

Statistics from the SAFE KIDS Campaign show that every year approximately 90 children die from unintentional poisonings in the home, 480 children drown in and around the home, and fires and burns in the home kill about 1,000 children.

Plenty of precautions are available both during and after construction to make your home more safe. Take the time now to reduce the risk of injury to your children.

The checklist below offers a number of safety tips for parents interested in&quotchildproofing" their homes. Take the time. It's worth it.

• Store dangerous items like household cleansers, liquor and chemicals out of the reach of children. Place these items in upper cabinets or install safety locks on lower cabinets.
• Keep appliance cords, place mats and tablecloths out of reach. Children are curious and may pull on whatever is within their grasp.
• When possible, use only the back burners on the stove. If possible, buy a stove with the controls on the top instead of the front.
• Store sharp tools like knives, food processor blades and scissors in a locked drawer or out of the reach of children.
• Eliminate or cover sharp corners on counters, tabletops and hearths. Buy tables and counters with rounded corners, or cover sharp edges with &quotcorner cushions," available at drugstores and hardware stores.
• Place all electrical outlets on a ground fault circuit interrupter that will cut off the flow of electricity when it senses a leak. Place plastic covers over all unused outlets to reduce the risk of shocks.
• Set the maximum temperature of the water heater at 120 degrees. According to the SAFE KIDS Campaign, 140-degree water will inflict a third-degree burn on a child in just three seconds.
• Lock the medicine cabinets. Even items as common as iron pills, vitamins and mouthwash can poison children.
• Install locks on toilets to prevent children from lifting the lids. Young children lose their balance easily and can drown in very little water.
• Install proper lighting in bedrooms, bathrooms and hallways. A few strategically placed night lights will help sleepy hands and feet to find their way to the bathroom safely late at night.
• Keep copies of keys to the rooms in your home in case a child gets locked inside.

Most importantly, remember that accidents happen. Prepare yourself so you can react quickly and efficiently. Post emergency phone numbers, including the family pediatrician, poison control center, fire department, ambulance service and a neighbor, by the phone. Keep syrup of ipecac on hand in case of poisoning, but use it only on the advice of a doctor or poison control center.

Many drugstores also sell household safety products, including cabinet latches, doorknob covers,&quotcorner cushions" and outlet covers. Take a look through this aisle for more ways to remedy the potential danger spots in your home.

While it is impossible to prevent all accidents, you can take measures now to limit the potential for injury in your home. Tour your home with a keen eye and use common sense to make and keep your home a safe retreat for your family.

The statistics and many of the safety tips for this article were provided by the Washington, D.C.-based National SAFE KIDS Campaign.