Importance | General Tips | Bathroom Rules | Safe Cot | Glass Safety | Pet Safety | Electrical Safety | Child Abuse | Small Items | Chemicals | Burns | High Chair Safety | Furniture | Falls | Tutoring | Outlets | Backyard | Walker Safety | FAQS
Home is one such place where kids are thought to be very safe and secure but we cannot ignore the fact that accidents can happen anywhere. Even while at home kids are not completely safe and are very much prone to get hurt.
Accidents and injuries can easily happen at home if not taken care of. There are many such scenarios and stuff at home that pose a threat to children and you need to be extra cautious with these things.
There are certain safety norms you need to keep in mind to ensure the proper safety of kids at home. And if followed properly and strictly, these rules are sure to help you and your child a lot.
Before we tell you about the safety rules in detail, we would first like you to know why are safety rules for kids so important.
Importance Of Safety Rules At Home
Kids are always very curious to touch, inspect and know about everything at home. Any new object immediately grabs their attention and without thinking about the consequences they move ahead and grab hold of it.
There are many everyday items and everyday set-ups in the house that if not taken care of can be fatal for little ones. Thus parents need to follow certain safety rules for kids and provide them with a safe environment to live in.
General Tips:
Although we will explain everything to you in detail if you are looking for general tips at a glance, here are the basic safety rules for kids that every household should follow.
- Keep all electrical points and sockets sealed properly.
- All entry and exit points of the house should have latches and locks.
- Any furniture corner that can pose a threat to kids should be made childproof.
- Keep all kinds of hazardous substances away from children’s reach.
- All types of electrical appliances should be kept in a safe place where kids can’t access them.
- Try to keep bathroom doors tightly shut so that kids don’t enter the bathroom accidentally.
- Tiny and miniature objects as well as substances should be removed from areas that are easily accessible by kids.
1. Set Bathroom Rules
We all know very well that kids love playing in the water and when given some time in bathtubs or pool areas, they enjoy it a lot. You should always make sure that you don’t leave your kids unattended while they are in the bathroom.
Some certain scenarios and situations can turn hazardous if not taken care of. We are here with a few bathroom tips that will help you if you have kids at home.
- Make sure the bathtub in your bathroom is not filled with water when not in use.
- Any electrical appliances in your bathroom should be unplugged when not in use. Make sure to keep the appliances away from the reach of kids.
- Do not keep anything in close vicinity of your child whenever you take your baby for a bath.
- Double-check the water before bathing your baby. It should have an optimum temperature that best suits your child.
- Watch out for electrical sockets in your bathroom and make sure that are all childproof.
- Use anti-slip mats wherever necessary.
2. Prepare A Safe Cot
Most babies feel comfortable while sleeping in a crib or cot but parents should ensure full safety in the cot. There have been accidents and sudden deaths of babies because of suffocation caused by loose bedding or pillow inside the cot.
Always make sure that you use a firm mattress for your little one as any loose mattress and other bedding stuff can accidentally cover your baby’s face and cause suffocation. You should always make it a rule not to sleep beside your baby if you are drunk or had been smoking. A tired parent sleeping beside the baby can also pose a threat to the little one.
3. Maintain Glass Safety
Glass is something that is found in abundance in any household. Be it glass doors, windows, partitions, decor pieces, crockeries or anything else; you ought to be extra careful when you have kids around.
Bumping into doors or partitions made out of glass can be dangerous for kids so always use high-quality toughened glass in your house. You also get a film that is shatter resistant and can be stuck on glasses for extra safety. Additionally, you can also paste caution stickers on glasses so that kids can view them from a distance and divert their route while running around the house.
4. Careful Around Pets
Kids love interacting and playing with pets. Pets in return also love it when kids are around but sometimes your little ones tend to go overboard. Since pets are animals, they can behave absurdly and hurt kids. You should always make your kids understand that pets are living beings and they should be treated with care and respect.
Behaving nicely around pets is something children must always keep in mind. Make sure your kids do not disturb the pet while it is enjoying a nap. Even if your pet is very friendly you should never leave your child alone with the pet. Any parent or guardian supervision is mandatory when kids play with pets.
5. Preventing Electrical Hazards
The curious nature of children makes them do things that we adults cannot even imagine them doing. Whenever kids see any electrical outlets or appliances they tend to get hyper-excited and you must have noticed kids running towards them. Most often it is seen that kids try to force their fingers inside the plug points and this is dangerous.
Make sure to keep all the electrical outlets secured and if that is not possible you should be smart enough to hide the outlets behind any piece of furniture. All the electrical appliances in the house should be stored in places that cannot be easily accessed by kids. Any loose wires or cords in the house must be removed immediately. Children can pull cords and cables hanging from devices so make sure they are short or hidden.
Controlling electrical hazards is possible if parents take care of the above scenarios at home.
6. Say NO To Child Abuse
Child abuse is a grave issue these days and something that parents must always be alert about. Child abuse begins at home and yes your child might be in trauma. Always look for signs of physical abuse first and then try to converse with your child in such a manner so that he/she opens up about all topics.
When hiring someone to look after your child, do not trust any stranger easily. Make sure to run a background check, ask for documents and then hire anybody. You should always discuss the day’s happenings with your little ones once they are of understandable age.
Do not ever ignore your child and pay heed to only your work life. Maintaining a proper balance between your personal and work life is something that will help you excel in life. Teach your child about topics like bad touch and good touch and if required you can also get CCTV cameras installed in your house. At least try to have one in your baby’s room.
7. Keeping Small Items Away
Many times it so happens that your house is cluttered with miniature items or showpieces and toys and you do not even realise their presence in the house. Any small item can be very hazardous for little ones as they tend to get attracted to miniature stuff. Kids have a habit of putting everything they get hold of into their mouth and it can result in choking.
Make sure that you keep your house free of any little items. Most importantly any miniature stuff should be kept at a height that kids can’t reach.
Small items can include the following:
- Toys
- Medicines
- Showpieces
- Batteries
- Bottle caps
- Rubber bands
- Hair clips
- Keys
These are a few examples of little items that are usually found in households. You can think of more such stuff and keep them away from kids. It is also advised that food items such as candies, nuts and other similar items should not be fed to kids as they can have a choking effect if swallowed.
8. Keep Chemicals Away
You ought to have chemicals like detergents, phenyl, boric acid, and floor cleaners in households. These chemicals if kept in the vicinity of children can prove to be deadly. You know very well that the inquisitiveness of children makes them super excited whenever they see something new.
If there are any harmful chemicals kept randomly anywhere in the house and kids consume them accidentally it can be fatal. You should always keep these chemicals safely locked in cabinets that can’t be accessed by kids.
Always make sure that you keep the chemicals back at their designated places after use. The cabinet used for storing these chemicals should be at a height and you should keep the cabinet latched at all times.
9. Preventing Burns And Scalds
The constant running around the house and touching stuff here and there can easily result in accidents and it is thus mandatory for you to take measures to prevent any sort of burn accidents.
Make sure to keep the cylinder knob locked when you are not in the kitchen. Any hot food dish should be placed on placemats and away from the edge of the table.
Any electrical appliances that are hot post use should be kept in a place which is not easily accessible by kids. Parents must always be extra cautious when kids enter the kitchen and they should teach kids to stay away from the stove area.
If utensils being used on the stove have handles, make sure to keep the handle inwards towards the wall and not outwards to prevent the utensil from tipping.
You should also make it a point to double-check the water in the bathroom before bathing your child. If the water is extra hot, it can give burns to your baby.
10. Preventing High Chair Accidents
High chairs are in demand when the kid is aged 1 to 3 years. It makes feeding the child a convenient task for parents as the child can comfortably sit and have food. However, if you don’t follow certain preventive measures, high chairs can cause accidents and injuries.
Always double-check the lock button as soon as you unfold a high chair. Kids have a habit of standing on everything but high chairs can be risky. Do not ever let your child stand on it. Secure the safety strap as soon as your child climbs in a high chair. See to it that the chair does not tip by any chance. Do not unfold a high chair near any table as the child can take its support and push the high chair backwards thus resulting in tipping over.
Although high chairs are convenient and safe one should keep in mind that a child must never be left unattended in them. Any parent or guardian must always assist the child sitting in a high chair.
11. Preventing Injuries From Furniture
It is common for kids to climb on furniture and other mounted appliances at home. This can result in the furniture or mounted appliances tipping over thus causing injuries. Always double-check the appliances mounted on the walls to make sure that they don’t easily fall due to any pressure.
Also, ensure that the furniture and fixtures are carefully fixed to the walls so that they don’t easily tip.
12. Keeping Falls In Check
Kids tend to fall and they can hurt themselves badly if not taken care of. There are certain precautionary measures which if taken at home can prevent kids from falling. The majority of the accidents happen while kids climb or get down a staircase. Always supervise your children while they are using the staircase. Also, install safety rails in case you have a staircase in the house. Keeping the entry point of staircases clear is always recommended.
Any spills on the floors should be cleaned and wiped off immediately. Do not keep any object in the house on which the child can climb and tip. Ladders if any should be kept safely in a place that cannot be accessed by kids.
13. Tutoring The Kids Right
Safety rules are not just to be followed by parents. There are certain norms which are fed into the child’s mind that can make their as well as your lives easier. Tutor your kids well and teach them the following:
- Your child should know whom and how to contact if any emergency arises at home.
- Teach them the hazards of spilling out too much information online.
- Do not allow your kids to invite friends over without seeking permission from any guardian.
- Make the little ones understand why it is mandatory to keep the main door locked at all times.
- Give them a thorough session and teach them about their body.
- Make them disciplined enough so that they do not enter the rooms that they are told not to.
14. Securing All Outlets
There are several doors and windows in a house and knowing minutely about all the openings is not feasible for a child. Kids can easily get hurt if by chance their fingers get stuck in the narrow openings of doors and windows.
The inquisitiveness of kids might make them open a window latch and they might peep out. This can be very risky and you must secure the window latches in such a way so that kids cannot open them at any cost.
The base of any staircase in your house should be blocked effectively and in such a way that kids cannot access the staircase. In all, you should try and use preventive locks on doors and windows.
15. Make Backyard Rules
Allowing kids to play in the backyard is something all parents do and it is totally fine to let them play but the backyard in most houses is not childproof.
You might be having some plants in the yard that are not safe if touched. Teach your kids to stay away from plants in the backyard. You should also tell them to inform you if they spot any animal in the backyard. Kids should also be taught to never pluck any flowers or fruits from plants in the yard.
Whenever you get any treatment done in your yard, keep kids away from the area for at least 48 hours to avoid risks from insects and animals.
16. Baby Walker Rules
A go-to baby product that almost all parents buy for their little ones, a baby walker is useful and fun but you should be cautious while your baby is using one. We get to hear several accidents and injury stories that revolve around baby walkers and if not taken care of, your baby might be in grave danger.
When your baby can stand independently without any support it is advised not to use a walker anymore. In such cases, babies tend to stand on top of the walker and can tip easily. Always make sure to not use a walker when there is a staircase nearby as the walker can roll down the stairs at any moment.
Also, it is suggested that you should not leave your baby in a baby walker anywhere unattended as it can lead to an accident like falling in a pit, hitting a rock etc.
FAQs
Is it advised to install CCTV cameras at home?
When thinking about child safety, CCTV cameras at home is something you should opt for. It does not just help you in keeping an eye on your children but also keeps you informed about other happenings at home.
Is having pets at home risky for kids?
It is completely fine to have pets at home even if you have kids but you should be cautious all the time. Teach your kids to behave properly when around pets.
Should you avoid using baby cots, cribs, walkers etc?
No, it is okay to use these products but make sure to follow safety rules to avoid any injuries and accidents.
Should you install smoke detectors at home?
Yes, smoke detectors at home are one of the best ways to ensure safety from fire.
Are setting safety rules enough to keep kids safe at home?
Safety rules are a big help but it is also mandatory for parents to groom kids in a manner so that they learn how to keep themselves safe.