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One of the most important things you will ever do is childproof your
home.
I know because I have four children and have had some close calls (see
my story below). When you first have children, you are often obsessed
with safety (I certainly was) and yet, even with that vigilance,
accidents happen!
It has occurred to me that no loving parent ever says "today is the day
there will be an accidental poisoning in my home". Yet, thousands of
accidental poisonings DO occur each and every year. In homes that have
been 'childproofed'.
When you childproof your home, consider these facts.
(Disclaimer - These suggestions do NOT replace a professional's advice
or your own common sense. You need to gather as much safety information
from as many competent sources as you can and, even then, nothing
replaces your own supervision of your child.)
- You can childproof your home, but you cannot guarantee your
child's safety.
- Think 'as a child might think' as you childproof your home and
you will do a much better job.
- By all means, childproof your home. Then pretend you have NOT
childproofed your home. There is no substitute for supervising your
child.
I have many collected many valuable links on these pages concerning
making your home a safer place and I invite you to look around.
However, in a nutshell, here are some of the basics you'll want to
cover as you childproof your home. (This is not an exhaustive list;
your needs may be different.)
- If it's made for adults, put it away or secure it completely.
- Electrical outlets, stairs, household chemicals and such
are made for adult usage. Plug those outlets, install gates on your
stairs (top and bottom), and LOCK UP your household chemicals outside
of your home (in a garage, for example) or save yourself much grief and
switch to less toxic household cleaners that
work better and are much, much safer to have in your home.
- As you childproof your home, get down on your hands and knees
and go through your home on your child's eye-level. Repeat this
procedure from time to time, adjusting to the current size-level of
your child as he grows. You will be amazed at how many things look
interesting from that level and you've never even noticed them before.
- In a similar vein, go through your home with your toddler, on her
level, and ask her to show you what she likes. That will teach you
about her interests and where her attention is often directed. Check
for any dangers she might be attracted to.
- Take another look at the plants and pet items you might
have around your home. Many plants are toxic, but look like food to a
young child (one of my kids ate a plant when he was just a crawling
baby. Fortunately, poison control was able to reassure me it wasn't
poisonous! I should've checked BEFORE he chewed on those leaves!). Pet
food (including pet medicines) and pet toys are definitely not right
for little kids.
- Medicines are another item you'll need to check for as you
childproof your home. Keep them high up, preferably in a locked
cabinet, and ALWAYS use childproof lids. As any experienced parent can
tell you, childproof lids are often easier for kids to open than
adults! Nevertheless, such tools can slow a child down, giving you more
time to catch him in the act.
- Never, never, never leave a small child alone next to water
of any kind. Period. On the topic of water, as you childproof your home
you'll want to check the water temperature in your home. Keep the
temperature no higher than 120 degrees Fahrenheit to prevent burns.
- Electronics and knick-knacks are not for kids. Yes, you
need to teach the 'not to touch' idea, but young kids are programmed to
explore. Consider putting all non-touchables behind closed doors and
install safety latches on those doors. Truthfully, if you give your
children a home they can safely explore, both of you will be happier.
- Make sure you leave things down low that your kids CAN touch.
For example, the kitchen can be a dangerous place. After you childproof
that area, put things like plastic bowls down low so your young
adventurer can enjoy their shapes, colors and the sounds they can make
when pounded with a toy car!
- Remember as you childproof your home to check for items such as
curtains and blind cords. Check where each of your electrical cords run
and make sure it cannot be chewed on, tripped over or yanked on.
- Do you have balconies, decks or windows that need to be
childproofed? Again, if you're thinking like a child on this topic,
you'll notice dangers that you won't notice as an adult. We had a
railing in one of our homes that a small child could easily slip
through. We securely wrapped a beautiful macramé' netting around
the bars. It was lovely to look at and protected our child from falling
through at the same time. We've also used lattice cut-to-measure for
the same purpose. If you'll spend some time thinking about your own
situation, there are many creative and effective ways to childproof
your home!
Again, the most important tool to childproof your home is your
constant supervision. Your child is counting on you! The last place
you want to be is standing next to a hospital bed, agonizing over your
hurt or maimed child, knowing it was a preventable accident.
Most folks know that household cleaners are dangerous to have around
children, but many people do not realize that personal care products
and cosmetics are also extremely toxic. Toothpaste, mouthwash, make-up,
hairspray and other similar products can be very toxic and are often
kept within reach of small children. The poison control center
statistics confirm these can be accidental poisonings waiting to happen.
| 52 percent of poison exposures occur in children
under the age of six.
The most common forms of poison exposure for children under the age of
six are cosmetics and personal care products (13.3%), cleaning
substances (10.3%), analgesics (7.4%) and foreign bodies (7.1%).
Source: Poison Control |
(If you would like more information on dangerous toxic chemicals in the
home, please see this page on household poisons.)
As my story below illustrates, just because you childproof your home,
you can't relax and think all is safe. Whenever you visit another home,
you must be especially vigilant. Other homes will most likely not have
been childproofed as well as your own.
As you childproof your home, ask yourself if you are serious about
keeping your family safe in their own home. Since you are taking the
time to read this information, I know you are! Read through these pages
carefully and take the time to do the simple things like cabinet
latches, stair guards, --ridding your home of dangerous toxic
cleaners--, and the like that can really make a difference. Don't
forget to hang the number of your poison control center prominently by
your phone!
Remember, kids can become very ingenious as they grow...a creative two
year old will amaze you with his tenacity. Kids that age have been
known to push chairs around to stand on and then climb like monkeys to
get where they want to go. I've known kids who could climb from the
floor up to the top of the fridge when they were just toddlers...one
did so just so he could 'see' that bottle of pink nail polish his mom
'hid' up there! As you childproof your home, don't underestimate your
little ones!
To give you another example of the need to childproof your
home, here is my true story.
My young son, who was only one year old at the time, and I were
visiting his grandparents. Like most toddlers, he was curious and often
headstrong.
I chased him around Grandma's house that day, trying to visit with my
mother and keep track of my busy son. He was only out of the room a few
moments when I again went to look for him.
I found him on the back porch, an empty glass raised to his lips.
I grabbed him and the glass and ran to Grandma. What was in the glass?
How much was in it?
There had been weed-killer in that glass.
Grandma thought the glass had probably been empty; she would put a
little weed killer in it when she gardened, to dab on the errant weeds.
We were very fortunate that day as my son had not ingested any
weed-killer. Not even any on his lips or mouth.
But I learned some valuable lessons that day.
- My child couldn't leave my sight at this young age.
- Even places I thought were safe, were not necessarily so.
- I had naively thought that keeping these dangerous chemicals out
of his reach would be enough. Of course, as he grew I came to see that
nowhere was one hundred percent out-of-reach of a determined
pre-schooler! Safety became more and more important in our home.
When you childproof your home, you are only beginning to
address safety and wellness issues for your family.
A couple of children later, I had a daughter with sensitive skin.
Eczema and hives became regular visitors to our home. A dermatologist
explained to me that 'sensitive skin (eczema), sensitive lungs (asthma)
and sensitive body systems (allergies) often happen together. I
started realizing a lot of the 'innocent' products I was bringing into
our home on a monthly basis just might be frustrating my efforts at
improving my daughter's daily well-being. This was a safety concern
right under my nose and I hadn't even considered it before!
So I looked for ways to improve the safety and health-levels of our
home. Mostly, I found, improving things has been about simple
solutions, just like when my kids were small and I needed to childproof
my home. I focused on common sense ideas like converting our household
to safer, less-toxic household products and educating my family on the
safer use and storage of the chemicals we still have in our home.
If you have similar concerns for your family and home, perhaps some of
these resources will be of practical use to you, too.
Use this helpful information as you work to childproof your
home.
(Much of this information is about the US. Please go to your local
bureau of statistics to find information for your country.)
- Although children under the age of six are the most likely to be
exposed to poison, they represent just two percent of poison
fatalities.
Source: Poison Control
- Your toddler has swallowed something suspicious. Quickly, you
call Poison Control or Emergency Services. What information will you
need to have ready so they can help you help your child?
- The patient's age, weight, and condition.
- The name of the product (ingredients and strengths, if known).
- The time it was swallowed.
- The amount swallowed.
Source: www.nlm.nih.gov
- In 2001 in the US, 63.6 % of all poisonings (22,242) were
determined to be accidental.
Source: www.cdc.gov
- In Alberta, Canada in 2001, accidental poisoning statistics were
as follows:
- 0-4 years 11,515 poisonings
- 5-10 years 1,524 poisonings
Disclaimer:
This information is NOT intended to replace any medical, chemical or
safety
advise from a qualified professional. Please consult your medical
doctor
for all health concerns. PaintedGold cannot be held liable for the
information
presented or used from these websites.
What are the health/wellness concerns in your family?
We'd like to hear from you!
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