Childproofing Your House

Childproofing your house might seem like common sense. Things such as keeping all poisons out of a child's reach and removing breakables from around your home are obvious, but there are a lot of hidden dangers that many people never consider.

If you are expecting, have an newborn or an infant just learning to crawl, now is the time to take action. Here are some ideas to get you started.

• Place safety covers on all electrical outlets, and not just the kind that cover unused outlets. Use the kind of safety device that covers the plug in an outlet that is being used. This will prevent your child from pulling out the plug.

• Place childproof safety latches on all cabinets and drawers below the counter in the kitchen and all bathrooms.

• Place childproof latches on all kitchen appliances.

• Place childproof latches on all toilet seat covers to prevent accidental drowning.

• Place cushioned guards on all sharp corners of furniture and fireplace hearths.

• Place childproof covers on all necessary doorknobs, including exit doors.

• If you will be using baby gates around your home remember to use a wall-mounted gate and not a tension gate at the top of staircases.

• Be sure to tie up the cords to any window coverings to avoid choking.

• If your children have bedrooms on the second floor be sure to install safety railings outside their windows to prevent accidental falls if the child leans on the screen.

• If there is anything in your home with slats like your baby's crib on the slats on your staircase, be sure the slats are not more than 2 3/8 inches apart so that your child will not be able to fit their head through the slats and get it stuck.

• Test all of your furniture, especially bookshelves that are easy to climb. If the furniture is not sturdy or could easily be pulled over, use anchors to secure it to the studs in the wall.

• Keep your water heater set to no more than 120 degrees to prevent accidental burns.

• Be sure that you have enough smoke detectors in your house and test the batteries regularly.

• Install a carbon monoxide detector in your house.

A great idea when childproofing your house is to get down on your hands and knees and crawl around. Giving yourself a child's view will allow you to spot potential hazards that you may not have otherwise realized existed. If you see anything within your reach that could harm your baby, move it to higher ground.

When you are childproofing your house, don't forget that dangers do not just exist inside. Check your yard or anyplace where your child will play for dangers there as well.

• If you have a deck be sure to use safety gates in all of the stairways and, if the railings are more

• If you have a swimming pool be sure to put a safety fence around it and keep it secure at all times.

• If you have a shed in your back yard be sure to put a childproof lock on it.

• Install safety latches on all gates to keep your children securely in the yard.