Children's Safety Blog

This blog is one I'm choosing to write after being inspired by a tragic story. Yesterday, I opened my laptop attempting to wake up with a few games of Candy Crush before really getting on with my day. I flipped through my social networking sites, messaged back a few friends, checked to see if there was anything funny on Pinterest, and then stumbled upon an article about a woman grieving. Kim and her baby girl Meggie, were the victims of tragedy when Meggie's dresser, one of the only pieces of furniture in the entire home that wasn't secured, fell on top of her while she was playing in her room. Seeing as the entire household has slept in, it wasn't until her father had walked into her room and checked on her, and yelled for Kim, did the family realize that their precious loved one was dead. This blog hit me... I teared up as I watched James playing on the floor in front of me in the living room. I was so touched, that I scooped James up into my lap before continuing to read the blog. The main message, I thought, was that it takes five dollars and just a minute of your time in order to save your children's lives. And that's what this blog is about. I'm going to give a few of the main children's safety tips so you can start proofing your home today so not one more child is harmed, or killed, in the 'safety' of their own home.

To read Kim and Meggie's story for yourself, click the following link. Have the Kleenex ready!

http://lovelightlaughterandchocolate.blogspot.com/2012/12/be-with-me-just-for-today.html

1. The book case, the flat screen TV, computer monitor, the dresser, the DVD shelf, all of these things need to be secured to the wall or onto the things that they sit! Industrial velcro, furniture straps, there are a ton of ways to proof these things for cheap and it only takes a few minutes to do. Another tip is to not put anything that your child is going to reach for, on top of anything that can topple over. Put your children's things in the lowest drawer of the computer desk, as close to the floor as you possibly can so they aren't tempted to crawl up onto things!

2. The kitchen is a dangerous place. When cooking on the stove make sure to turn all handled inward to prevent your children from grabbing the pot handle and pulling it down on top of themselves. In all, it would be best to keep your children out of the kitchen entirely. For instance, the second I open the fridge, James comes running. If he did the same thing with the oven? We'd be in a lot of trouble! Keep them occupied in the other room with a movie, activity, or toys, to keep them entertained while you're in the kitchen.

3. One of the simplest things you could possibly do is to childproof electric sockets. At the VERY least, go to Walmart, buy a three dollar package of socket plugs, and put them into each socket you come across. Electrocution is dangerous (trust me) and it HURTS. Something so simple and inexpensive as a socket cover is worth it to keep your child safe.

4. You don't need a baby gate in every room. If the rooms have doors, CLOSE THEM! However, you DO need a baby gate at the top and bottom of any stairs you may have in the house. If you don't like hopping over these, yet you think it's a pain to take them down and put them up again each time you walk up and down the stairs, invest in a mounted gate! Press the latch, open the gate, and close it behind you! That makes taking laundry downstairs much easier.

5. Teen parents especially are guilty of leaving EVERYTHING plugged in. Hair dryers, straighteners, cellphone and laptop chargers, you name it, we forget about it. WELL STOP IT! James is completely capable of pulling my chargers out of the wall, so I've learned to wrap them up when my devices are charged, put them away, and put an outlet cover in it's place. A curious baby is a happy baby and the last thing you want is for your curious baby to get zapped, burned, or seriously hurt because of a straightener or uncovered outlet.

6. We just moved into a new apartment relatively recently and I've just recently noticed that our fire alarm doesn't have working batteries! You'd think that the landlords would have checked them before we moved in, but apparently not! So while you should have a smoking smoke alarm (we're getting batteries ASAP) also think about investing in a carbon monoxide, and even a radon monitor!

7. Keep your chemicals up high and out of reach! Febreze, toilet bowl cleaner, Pledge, bleach, ALL OF IT, either lock up your cabinets or MOVE IT! Seeing as our landlord won't allow us to install cabinet locks, we moved all of our chemicals into a storage area at the top of a closet we have in our kitchen. Seeing as I have to stand on my toes to reach it, I know James won't be able to reach in in a long time. If your child Does ingest chemicals call poison control immediately!

8. Here's a tip I didn't even think of for quite some time. When I get home, I put my purse down either on the table or on the couch and it usually stays where I put it until I leave again. In my purse, I have my wallet, a billion coupons, some loose change, and Advil. Much like chemicals, all medicines need to be put far out of a child's reach! James has pretty easy access to my purse, and god forbid I didn't screw the lid back on correctly! Keep your purse zipped up and out of reach to help your child avoid choking on a penny, or getting into a medicine bottle.

9. Pop cans. It doesn't seem too harmful does it? Imagine what would happen if you stuck your finger inside an aluminum pop can. Now imagine if you grabbed it with force, much like a child might. Getting cut my aluminum is not fun (I had many an art project go awry when I was working with aluminum) and with such tiny fingers, your little one may lose a digit if you don't pick up all of the pop cans around the house and put them in the recycling! It takes two seconds to pick up a pop can and is much better than an emergency room visit because your little one won't stop bleeding after they ripped it off of the end table and started banging it around.

10. My last tip today is simple. Use common sense. Get down on your knees, which would be eye level with a child, and look around! Are there electrical cords peaking out from behind the TV? Are the cords to the window blinds dangling to the floor? Did daddy forget a pop can in the living room? All of these things would only take a moment to fix, but would keep your child from being harmed. Tuck away all electrical cords out of sight, tie up or cut off window blind cords, and keep anything sharp or small enough to choke on out of reach of children.