Learn 5 easy ways to childproof your home for safety.
Ensuring your home is a safe place for kids is a crucial task for parents, grandparents, or anyone who regularly has children in their home. From outlets to outdoor toxins, you need to childproof your home so the kids in your life can live and explore their surroundings without getting sick or hurt.
Every March, we recognize National Poison Prevention Week, an excellent reminder to review your home and yard to ensure there is no potential danger for children. Here are some items to look over when considering how childproof your home is.
5 Easy Ways to Childproof Your Home
Install Safety Guards Throughout Your Home
One of the most basic things you can do to childproof your home is to install outlet covers on all outlets, especially those below the waist. You’ll also want to put cabinet locks anywhere you intend to store dangerous items. These safety items are widely available online and at big big stores across the country.
Store Cleaning Supplies Locked Up and Out of Reach
We all use cleaning products to keep up with the chores and keep our homes clean, but many cleaning supplies are incredibly harmful to children if ingested. Be sure that your cleaning and laundry supplies are stored under the sink with a safety lock or in a cabinet out of reach of young children.
Cleaning supplies with heavy chemicals can release toxins in the air. While all cleaning products should be secured against young children, products like Hemp Pure Castile Soap from Dr Bronner’s Magic Soaps feature a combination of natural and organic ingredients to clean effectively without harsh chemicals.
Check Your Yard for Poisonous Plants
Outdoor plants like poison oak and poison ivy can lead to painful skin rashes if children come into contact with them. If you have these plants in your yard or on your premises, remove them safely and check to be sure they don’t come back.
If your child comes into contact with poisonous outdoor plants, we recommend a topical cream to bring relief. Poison Ivy/Oak Cream by All Terrain is a paraben-free cream relief for poison ivy, oak, and sumac that can soothe skin after exposure.
Another great option is Skinbiotics SOS Cream by Derma E. This product features naturally antimicrobial and antifungal tea tree, oregano oil, and chamomile in a moisturizing avocado, sesame and almond oil base. These ingredients work in combination to fight bacteria, and relieve itching, rashes, insect bites, and more.
Ensure Your Blinds and Window Coverings are Safe
If your home still uses blinds with cords that hang down, you should consider replacing them. The strings can cause strangling death for young children and pets, and the sale of these window treatments is no longer legal in the U.S.
If you can’t replace the corded blinds in your home, separate the double strings into individual cords so the strings don’t form a “V” and install cord guards and cleats to keep cords far out of reach when you’re not adjusting them.
Bolt Shelving and Dressers to the Wall
Furniture such as shelving and TV stands can tip over when children try to climb on them. Each year hundreds of children are injured or killed when climbing on unsecured furniture. Be sure this doesn’t happen in your home by securing dressers, shelving units, and TV stands to the wall.
How do you childproof your home for the safety of your family? Share your safety tips with our team in the comments section below.
About Theresa Groskopp, CN
Certified Nutritionist in Appleton, Wisconsin, Founder of Natural Healthy Concepts. Natural health and nutrition advocate. Enjoys gardening, biking, fitness, boating, animals (especially cats), and cooking. Theresa Groskopp