Safety Proof Your Home!

Smoke Detectors

Here are tips form the Red Cross:

1. *Install a smoke alarm outside each sleeping area and on each additional level of your home
   

2. *If people sleep with doors closed, install smoke alarms inside sleeping areas, too.
   

3. *Use the test button to check each smoke alarm once a month.  When necessary, replace batteries immediately.  Replace all batteries at least once a year.
   

4. *Vacuum away cobwebs and dust from your smoke alarms monthly.
   

5. *Smoke alarms become less sensitive over time.  Replace your smoke alarms every ten years
   

Young Children’s Toys & Clothes

Examine your young children’s belongings.  Are there any loose pieces on their toys that could be a choking hazard?  Are there broken parts that are sharp or dangerous?  On the clothes, are there any loose buttons or snaps that might fall off and be swallowed? Go over them all today!

Check Your Medicine Cabinet

Its too easy for young children to fall victim to poisoning if the family’s medicines aren’t safely contained (in original containers with childproof caps) or aren’t in a secure place (medicine cabinet that has child proof latches).  Out of date medicines can be ineffective or dangerous.  So today’s a good day to go through your cabinets (and any medicine in the house) and check them out.  Note - “medicine” includes vitamins!

Check Your Household Chemicals

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends:

1. *Use the child-resistant closures that come on most medicines and household chemicals.  Safety closures save lives.
   

2. *Safety latches for kitchen, bathroom, and workshop cabinets can help keep household chemicals and medicines locked up and away from children.
   

3. *Be sure to check any chemicals in storage sheds, basements, in the garage or in any storage area.
   

Family Safety Plan: Create the Family Disaster Plan

Here are areas to discuss:

1. *Meet with your family and discuss the need to prepare for a disaster.
   

2. *Develop a plan to share responsibilities and work together as a team.
   

3. *Establish meeting places inside and outside your home and outside the neighborhood.  Make sure everyone knows when and how to contact each other if separated.
   

4. *Decide on the best escape routes form your home.  Find two ways out of each room.
   

5. *Establish an out-of-state family contact (friend or relative).  Call this person after the disaster to let them know where you are and if you are okay.  Make sure everyone knows the contact’s phone number.
   

6. *Learn what to do in an evacuation and what you should and cannot take to a shelter.
   

Fire Extinguishers

Here are a few recommendation from the National Fire Protection Association:

1. *Make sure your fire extinguisher is properly charged.
   

2. *Make sure you know how to correctly use your fire extinguisher.
   

This information and much more available at http://www.kidsource.com

Other Safety information at...

ChildSafetyExperts -- This site also covers a wide range of safety topics.

KeepKidsHealthy --  Tips for childproofing the house, toy safety, burn safety, environmental health hazards and much more.

BabyUniverse -- Click on “Category” at the top of the screen to access a range of Health & Safety topics.