How to Make Your Home Safe for Children

Ron's daughter is reaching that age where she's into just about everything. While it's great to watch her exploring and learning, Ron is concerned that her curiosity might get her into trouble. So Ron and Lynn asked Jay Martel, a home child safety expert, to drop by and walk through their home, to make sure they hadn't overlooked any potential trouble spots.

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Kitchen island corner padding
While adults generally walk into a room, children often come running, especially into the kitchen. Ron's kitchen island has a bit of an overhang, which can be a trouble spot for little heads. He recommended adding a small cushion, which comes in a variety of different colors, to guard against mishaps.

Stovetop barrier
The sights and smells from cook tops can intrigue and attract children. Jay demonstrated how a clear barrier, which is held onto the countertop with adhesive and runs along the outside edge of the stove, can offer protection. The barrier not only keeps splatters from coming down on small children, but it also prevents pots and pans from falling or being pulled off the stove. It also makes it impossible for children to reach up and touch anything dangerous.

Cabinet locks
Keeping children out of kitchen cabinets is extremely important. Especially those that contain cleaning products. Many of the available child safety locks are effective but awkward. Jay offers another possibility, a safety lock that even an adult can't open without the "key," which is a magnet that releases the latch.

All you have to do is place the magnet in the appropriate spot and then the cabinet can open and close. It's almost automatic. When there are no kids around, or after the latches are no longer needed, the locking mechanism can be deactivated with a simple flip of a switch. This same magnetic lock can also be used in other places like the laundry chute.

Fireplace safety
Jay demonstrated how to create an entire buffer zone between the fire and your child. He installed an attractive, removable barrier that completely encloses the fireplace area.

Floor vents
Many vents in a home are just set into the floor and it is relatively easy for a small child to reach their fingers in and pull the grate up. What is left is a hole that leads to the heating or cooling system. There are often sharp sheet metal edges, sharp screw ends, and a lot of dirt. The solution is to simply screw these vents to the floor. If anybody wants to clean out the ductwork, all that they need to do is back out the screws.

Doorstops
The rubber tip of a typical doorstop can present a choking hazard. It can be pulled off the stop and is an attractive object for a small child to put in their mouths. Jay recommends unscrewing the doorstop and replacing it with a solid, one-piece doorstop that has a flexible tip.

Outlet covers
Jay recommends the type of outlet cover that has a sliding panel under the plugholes that you can slide out of the way when you plug something in, but it snaps back when the plug is not in use.

Safety gates
When it comes to stairways, the goal is to have a properly mounted stair gate at the top of the stairs that's easy for an adult to operate, but safe for the baby. Jay demonstrated one of his favorite gates for the top of the stairs.

To install gates on irregular surfaces, first mount a wood strip, and then attach the hardware to that. This works well even on stair railing posts.

The gate is designed to open only in one direction. The general rule is that any gate at the top of the stairs should open away from the stairs. The latch involves simply lifting the gate slightly so that it comes out of its cradle.

Often times, accidents are preventable, and the more you can "anticipate" the things that could go wrong, the better shape you will be in to prevent accidents from happening around your home.