Home, hearth, hazards: How to childproof your house

LIMA — Little hands, but big time curiosity: as any parent of a 2-year-old could testify, small children’s desire to explore their environment never seems to end. Caution rarely tempers curiosity, however, especially in a child’s early development stages. That lamp cord in the corner might look benign to an adult, but to a child, it looks ripe for tugging. You wouldn’t think of swallowing medication that isn’t yours, but it might look like candy to a toddler.When childproofing a home, it’s important to be proactive instead of reactive, said Lima Fire Department training and safety officer Mark Rudasill.“If you’re reactive, that means something has already happened,” he said. “And sometimes, you only get that one chance.”The lesson for parents? Leave no stone unturned. As you check your home for possible safety hazards, check these rooms out and consider what risks they harbor.KitchenWith a wealth of appliances, the kitchen is one of the most dangerous places in the home for children, said Nancy Recker, extension educator for family and consumer sciences at the Ohio State University Extension Allen County.Look out for:• The stove. When cooking, turn pot handles so children don’t pull them down. Buy special knobs to prevent children from turning the stove on. Some places sell oven latches, too.• Appliances. If you’re done using the toaster or the blender, unplug it. Make sure outlets you aren’t using are covered.• Cupboards. Install childproof locks on cabinet doors and drawers to keep kids away from dangerous items, especially cutlery and/or cleaning supplies. You could also move these items higher to where children can’t reach them.• Wet floors. If you spill something, especially water, wipe it up to avoid slipping.• Countertops. Invest in corner protectors, which will prevent little heads from crashing into sharp edges.• Mop buckets/standing water. It might seem impossible, but small children could drown in a bucket of water you’re using to clean the kitchen floor, said Jan Huckeriede, child health coordinator for the Allen County Health Department. Do not leave the bucket and your children unattended.Living roomLamps, televisions and other heavy objects can be the most dangerous for kids when in a living room area, Rudasill said. Pay attention to:• Electrical cords. Objects on end tables, coffee tables and entertainment stands can be easily pulled over and onto a child (in particular, Rudasill said newer flat screen televisions aren’t very stable). Make sure cords are out of sight and reach of inquisitive fingers.• Coffee table. When children are learning how to walk, their balance is less than good, Huckeriede said. At any point, they could fall over and hit their heads on a coffee table. Huckeriede recommends removing the coffee table from the room until a child can walk with steadiness.• Drape/blind cords. Loose cords could contribute to strangulation. Tie loose cords up and out of reach with twist ties, and do not knot cords together.• Throw rugs. Be sure your rugs have non-skid bottoms. Otherwise kids could trip and fall.• Candles/matches. Flickering flames and brightly-colored candles look like fun to children, Recker said. Keep any and all candles and matches as far up and away from children as possible.StairsStair hazards can be easily avoided with a few simple tools, Huckeriede said.• Use gates at the top and bottom of stairs to keep kids from falling.• When kids are ready to use stairs, keep them clutter-free. Leaving items like shoes, clothing or sporting equipment on stairwells could trip someone and cause a fall.BedroomsSecuring windows in a bedroom, especially if it is on the second floor, is extremely important, Recker said. Secure window screens, guards or window locks will keep children from falling out or even wandering where they shouldn’t.“If children see a bird on the roof, they might want to lean out and look,” she said. “You just have to be so careful.”In bedrooms, parents should also think about:• Bedding. Especially in cribs, too much bedding, pillows or stuffed animals could suffocate a child.• Door handles: Do not hang purses, clothing or other items from door handles, Huckeriede said, as this could strangle a child. Kids might also get into purses hanging within reach and pull out unsafe items, like pens or medicine bottles.BathroomSupervise children in the bathroom at all times, Huckeriede said, especially when the bathtub is concerned. To avoid scalding children with too-hot water, set your home’s water heater to 120 degrees (or check to make sure the automatic setting rests at that temperature).“When you set it to 120 degrees, by the time it travels through the pipes and comes out of the faucet, its closer to 105 degrees, and it won’t burn the child.”Also consider:• Slippery tubs. A rubber mat or traction strips in a bathtub will let kids stand without slipping in the tub.• Water. Kids can drown in just inches of water. Watch them at all times. Take a cordless phone or a cell phone into the bathroom with you so you do not have to leave.• Toilets. Keep the toilet seat down, and consider a latch to keep kids away from the water.• Medicine cabinets. Childproof locks on the medicine cabinets will make sure your children can’t get into pills or other substances that could harm them.OfficeMost office items are made for adults only, especially obviously sharp objects like scissors, Recker said. Keep these items up and out of a child’s reach. Swivel chairs are also dangerous, she said, especially if kids use them as a climbing instrument. Consider ridding yourself of a swivel chair, or keep the office off-limits by closing the door and using a doorknob cover.BasementBasements deserve the same attention and care you give other areas of the house, Rudasill said. The items stored in the basement might even warrant extra attention.“The same things you do upstairs, you should do in the basement,” he said. “Because people store things in their basements, you want to make sure its safe down there.”Also be careful with:• Sump pumps. Rudasill also said sump pump wells are a potential drowning hazard because they are filled with water. If children are in the basement regularly, parents should think about installing a gate around the pump.GarageChildren sometimes struggle with identifying dangerous or poisonous objects, Huckeriede said. Case in point: antifreeze or windshield wiper fluid looks more like Kool-Aid to them, so keep it out of sight and reach at all times. Other obvious no-no's include keeping all power tools, cords and other gadgets in a locked-up storage bin or cabinet.BackyardIf you have a swimming pool, an enclosed fence with a locking gate protects not only your children from drowning, but keeps neighbors, pets and others from drowning in the water, too. Plastic or inflatable kiddie pools can be hazardous, as well, so be sure to drain them after each use.Also:• Take care of any playground equipment you may have outside. Inspect your swing sets, slides and other equipment during the spring. A harsh winter might have inspired cracks, rust, splinters or other potentially dangerous results of wear.The best way to foresee any risks is to bring yourself down to a child’s level: Rudasill recommends crawling on your hands and knees through your home for a kids-eye perspective.“Get down to where the child is,” he said. “You see things much better, because as an adult you’re used to looking from a different angle.”Above all, when child-proofing your home, Rudasill said to refer to your children’s personality when deciding what measures to take.“You know your child better than anyone else,” he said. “You have to realize that you could put a lot of money into childproofing a house. It could be so childproof that it’s also adult proof. Be sensible about it.”