Easy Improvements to Make Your Home Safe for Kids

kid safetyEvery hour a child dies from an accidental injury, according to a recent Vital Signs report from the Centers for Disease Control.

While some accidents are out of your control, there are ways to reduce injuries from occurring in your home. Take these precautionary steps to make your home a safe environment for children:

Add High Latches to Exterior Doors

Adventurous little ones often attempt to wander outside to play whenever mom, dad or the babysitter turns his or her back.

If your child is tall enough to reach and operate the door knob and lock, you can provide an extra layer of protection by installing a latch at the top of the door. Choose locks that can be affixed directly to the door frame. Barrel bolts, hook-and-eye locks and flip locks are all secure options for childproof latches.

Install high latches over all exterior doors in your home, as well as to the doors to any rooms or cabinets that are off-limits to the kids.

Install an Alarm System

With precious little ones running around, there’s no better reason to get a home security alarm system than to protect your family. If you have a bad habit of leaving the baby monitor on, you may want to change your ways.

According to ABC News, some burglars are hacking baby monitor signals and listening in on parents’ conversations. It’s not hard — most monitors use unlicensed radio frequencies that can be heard even unintentionally from other users.

When not in use, turn your baby monitor off to reduce the risk of a potential thief listening in to see if you are home.

Secure the Televisions

There were around 200 reported deaths of kids ages 8 and under as a result of tipped TVs between 2000 and 2008, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Television tipovers can be deadly, but they can be easily prevented. Secure your TV to a nearby wall or an anchored piece of furniture. For maximum safety and a sleek look, mount all flat-screen televisions to the wall using a sturdy television mount.

Anchor Furniture to the Walls

Is your little one a climber? Anchor furniture to the walls for stability to prevent a bookshelf or dresser from accidentally falling on your children as they try to climb on top of it.

From a child’s perspective, everyday furniture can look like a jungle gym, and those dresser drawers or bookshelves make a handy ladder for adventurous little climbers.

To protect your kids from an accidental tipover, anchor dressers, bureaus, sideboards, nightstands, desks and bookshelves to the wall with security straps or long drywall screws.

Add Window Blind Winders

Window blind adjustment cords can be a choking hazards to small children. To protect your child from suffering injuries or strangulation from playing with the window blind cords, install a window blind winder to each set of blinds in your house. Blind winders start at about $2 on Amazon.com.

A blind winder is a small device that safely stores window blind cords and allows you to easily adjust them with the push of a button.

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