12 Must Have Products

12 Must Have Products That Will Keep Your Child


Safe Around The Home

About 2−1/2 million children are injured or killed by

hazards in the home each year. The good news is that

many of these incidents can be prevented by using

simple child safety devices on the market today.

You can childproof your home for a fraction of what it

would cost to have a professional do it. And safety

devices are easy to find. You can buy them at hardware

stores, baby equipment shops, supermarkets, drug

stores, home and linen stores, and through mail order

catalogues.

Here are some child safety devices that can help prevent

many injuries to young children. The red numbers

correspond to those on the image following the text.

1. Use Safety Latches and Locks for cabinets and

drawers in kitchens, bathrooms, and other areas to help

prevent poisonings and other injuries. Safety latches and

locks on cabinets and drawers can help prevent children

from gaining access to medicines and household

cleaners, as well as knives and other sharp objects.

Look for safety latches and locks that adults can easily

install and use, but are sturdy enough to withstand pulls and tugs from children. Safety latches are not a


guarantee of protection, but they can make it more

difficult for children to reach dangerous substances.

Typical cost of a safety latch or lock: less than $2.

2. Use Safety Gates to help prevent falls down stairs and

to keep children away from dangerous areas. Safety

gates can help keep children away from stairs or rooms

that have hazards in them. Look for safety gates that

children cannot dislodge easily, but that adults can open

and close without difficulty. For the top of stairs, gates

that screw to the wall are more secure than "pressure

gates."

Typical cost of a safety gate: $13 to $40.

3. Use Door Knob Covers and Door Locks to help prevent

children from entering rooms and other areas with

possible dangers. Door knob covers and door locks can

help keep children away from places with hazards,

including swimming pools.

Be sure the door knob cover is sturdy enough not to

break, but allows a door to be opened quickly by an adult

in case of emergency. By restricting access to potentially

hazardous rooms in the home, door knob covers could

help prevent many kinds of injuries.

Typical cost of a door knob cover: $1 and door lock: $5

and up.
 
4. Use Anti−Scald Devices for faucets and shower heads


and set your water heater temperature to 120 degrees

Fahrenheit to help prevent burns from hot water.

Anti−scald devices for regulating water temperature can

help prevent burns.

Typical cost of an anti−scald device: $6 to $30.

5. Use Smoke Detectors on every level of your home and

near bedrooms to alert you to fires. Smoke detectors are

essential safety devices for protection against fire deaths

and injuries.

Check smoke detectors once a month to make sure

they're working. If detectors are battery−operated,

change batteries at least once a year or consider using

10−year batteries.

Typical cost of a smoke detector: less than $10.

6. Use Window Guards and Safety Netting to help

prevent falls from windows, balconies, decks, and

landings. Window guards and safety netting for balconies

and decks can help prevent serious falls.

Typical cost of a window guard or safety netting: $8 to

$16.

7. Use Corner and Edge Bumpers to help prevent injuries

from falls against sharp edges of furniture and fireplaces. Corner and edge bumpers can be used with furniture and


fireplace hearths to help prevent injuries from falls or to

soften falls against sharp or rough edges.

Typical cost of a corner and edge bumper: $1 and up.

8. Use Outlet Covers and Outlet Plates to help prevent

electrocution. Outlet covers and outlet plates can help

protect children from electrical shock and possible

electrocution.

Be sure the outlet protectors cannot be easily removed by

children and are large enough so that children cannot

choke on them.

Typical cost of an outlet cover: less than $2.

9. Use a Carbon Monoxide (CO) Detector outside

bedrooms to help prevent CO poisoning. A carbon

monoxide (CO) detector can help prevent CO poisoning.

Consumers should install CO detectors near sleeping

areas in their homes. Households that should use CO

detectors include those with gas or oil heat or with

attached garages.

Typical cost of a carbon monoxide (CO) detector: $30 to

$70.

10. Cut Window Blind Cords; use Safety Tassels and

Inner Cord Stops to help prevent children from strangling

in blind cord loops. Window blind cord safety tassels on miniblinds and tension devices on vertical blinds and


drapery cords can help prevent deaths and injuries from

strangulation in the loops of cords. Inner cord stops can

help prevent strangulation in the inner cords of window

blinds.

For older miniblinds, cut the cord loop, remove the

buckle, and put safety tassels on each cord. Be sure that

older vertical blinds and drapery cords have tension or

tie−down devices to hold the cords tight. When buying

new miniblinds, verticals, and draperies, ask for safety

features to prevent child strangulation.

11. Use Door Stops and Door Holders to help prevent

injuries to fingers and hands. Door stops and door

holders on doors and door hinges can help prevent small

fingers and hands from being pinched or crushed in doors

and door hinges.

Typical cost of a door stop and door holder: less than $4.

12. Use a Cordless Phone to make it easier to

continuously watch young children, especially when

they're in bathtubs, swimming pools, or other potentially

dangerous areas.

Cordless phones help you watch your child continuously,

without leaving the vicinity to answer a phone call.

Cordless phones are especially helpful when children are

in or near water, whether it's the bathtub, the swimming

pool, or the beach.