Home Child Safety Tips for Parents

As a home security specialist, I was often in the home shortly after young couples welcomed a newborn into the family. While I, of course, educated them as to the many features of a home security system that would help them protect the family, I also enjoyed being able to share some common sense, home child safety tips for parents that would help “child proof” the home and keep their children safe.

Here are some simple child safety tips to make your home safer.

Secure Firearms and Ammunition

It is estimated that more than 40% of all homes have firearms and that nearly 100 children under the age of 14 die as a result of an accidental shooting. If you have firearms in the home, it is essential that firearms are not loaded and locked away in a gun safe or cabinet. Trigger guards should be utilized and ammunition should be stored in a secure location. If you have a security system, contacts can be placed on gun cabinets to alert you that it has been opened.

Install and Check Smoke and CO Detectors

According to the U.S. Fire Administration, two thirds of all fires that result in the deaths of children under the age of 5 occur in homes without a working smoke detector. At a minimum you should have a smoke detector on every floor. Carbon monoxide gas is odorless and colorless and detectors should also be placed on rooms adjacent to a garage as well. Combination Smoke and CO detectors are available for maximum protection.

Smoke detectors should be checked monthly to ensure they are operating and batteries should be changed at least annually. Changing batteries when you change the clocks for daylight savings is recommended. Make sure that you have a fire escape plan, with at least 2 ecape routes from any room, and a specified rendezvous point where everyone meets.

In the event of a fire, you have only seconds to get everyone out safely. Consider including monitored smoke and CO detectors to your home security system. These will alert the central monitoring station- whether the system is armed on not… and, if you aren’t home or can’t get to a phone, a trained operator will dispatch the fire department. All you have to worry about is getting your family out safely!

Secure Windows and Stairways

Accidental falls are one of the leading causes of child injuries in the home. Of course, the seriousness of the injury is usually determined by height of the fall, so don’t leave a young child unattended on a table or counter and make sure to block stairways with safety gates.

Be sure to keep children away from windows and keep them shut and locked…screens can not be counted on to prevent a fall. Don’t leave things they can climb on next to windows.

Pet Safety

While they are often considered part of the family, each year over 150,000 children are bitten by pets. To ensure a safe environment:

Select a breed that is “family-friendly” and make sure that their temperament and activity levels are appropriate.
Spay or neuter the pet to reduce aggressiveness.
Don’t leave your pets alone with infants or young children.
Keep children away from animals caring for offspring.
Teach children not to approach pets while eating or not to try to take away bones or treats.

Be Prepared for an Emergency

No matter how careful and diligent your are…sometimes accidents just happen. It is always best to “prepare for the worst…and hope for the best”.

Purchase or assemble a first-aid kit.
Learn CPR and the Heimlich Maneuver
Have important #’s near the phone, or on speed dial- Poison Control, pediatrician, cell and work phone of spouse, nearby neighbor or relative

In the event of a life-threatening emergency, even trained medical professionals sometimes have difficulty thinking clearly when it comes to family. If you have a security system, make sure that the panic buttons are activated. This will get you on the line with a trained professional, at the touch of a button. Check with monitoring company and see if they have 2-way voice monitoring capability. This will enable you to speak directly with a trained specialist through the intercom of your control panel…while help is being dispatched.

If you would like more information on how a home security system will help make your home safer, visit Top Alarm Companies.

Feel free to comment below and contribute your home child safety tips for parents.