Child Proofing Your Home - Room by Room

Part Two - Nursery, Halls, Windows & General Safety Measures

Here are some additional suggestions on how to keep your child out of harm´s way in your home.

The Nursery

When buying equipment look for the certification sticker of Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA). It indicates voluntary safety certification for five common children´s items and ensures that the item has passed rigorous safety standards.

The Crib

If you buy or borrow a second-hand crib or use an old family one, it may not meet today´s safety standards. The distance between the bars of the crib (ensuring a baby can´t get her head caught) is 2 3/8 inches. Before 1974, some were set farther apart. There should be at least 12 slats to a side. Corner posts should not be more than 5/8 inch above the end boards, so your baby´s clothing can’t get caught.

Be aware of lead paint hazards in any crib made prior to 1978.

There should not be decorative cutouts on crib ends large enough to trap a baby´s head.

Drop-side latches should hold sides securely raised and be difficult enough to operate so that a small child cannot let the crib side down.

The mattress should be firm and fit snugly in the crib frame. You should not be able to get more than two fingers between the mattress and the crib side.

There should be no pillows or stuffed toys in the crib. Suffocation can occur if a baby can´t raise or turn his head.

Bumper pads should have at least six ties to keep them in place. Ties should be no longer than 12 inches or they become a strangulation hazard.

Bumpers need to be removed when the child can roll over.

The mattress should be lowered when the child begins to push up on hands and knees. Baby´s next step is reaching an arm up and pulling to stand, even if they can´t sit well yet! Some of the worst falls occur when babies climb out of cribs.

Remove any mobiles and crib gyms before your baby can stand, probably at about 5 months, when he can push up to his hand and knees.

Do not place the crib near a sash window that cannot be safely locked. Be sure that cords for shades, blinds or lamps are out of reach.

Never use thin, plastic dry-cleaning bags to protect a mattress.

Never use an electric blanket on the bed of an infant or of a child who still wets the bed.

Use a guardrail on the full size bed until your child is used to sleeping in it; or put a large pillow on the floor beside the bed to break a possible fall.

The Changing Table

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, 1330 children were treated in hospital emergency departments for injuries related to changing tables.

The table should be sturdy, with high sides and a safety strap. Keep the strap fastened and one hand on the baby whenever you use the table.

Never turn your back on a baby on the table, even if he is securely strapped down.

Keep all diaper changing supplies out of your baby´s reach. Do not use powder on a baby. Children have died from inhaling powder.

If you keep a diaper pail near the changing table, be sure it has a locking lid. If it does not, keep it where your child cannot get at it. Children have drowned in soaking water and/or been poisoned by diaper pail cake deodorizers.

The Rest of the House

Doors

Put decals on sliding glass doors so your mobile child will be able to see them more clearly and won´t run into them.

Buy a special guard to keep a patio door locked so your child can´t slip out.

Put a doorknob cover on a door you don´t want your child to open. As an extra precaution, attach a bell to the door, so you’ll hear it if it´s opened.

Be sure doors to walk-in closets can be opened from the inside, as well as the outside, so no one can get trapped inside.

Remove doorstoppers that have rubber caps. The caps can be removed and eaten by small children. Replace these doorstoppers with one-piece screw-in doorstoppers that attach to the wall, not the door.

Windows

Open double-hung windows from the top only, or consider buying a burglar latch, which will allow the lower sash to open only a few inches.

Don´t leave furniture, or any object, onto which a child can climb, near a window.

Hang curtains out of reach of your crawling child so he can’t pull them down. Tie up the cords of blinds and curtains. Children can wrap them around their necks, creating a strangulation hazard.

Halls and Stairs

Install a safety gate at the top of a staircase. Place the safety gate bar latch on the side away from the child.

Beware of stairs with open risers. A child may be able to squeeze through and fall or get trapped.

The gaps between upright posts on a banister should be less than 5 inches, to keep your child´s head from getting caught. If gaps are too wide, install a sheet of Plexiglas along the railing.

Furniture and Accessories

Don´t allow your child to stand or jump on furniture. Not only might she have a bad fall, she could fall on another piece of furniture and receive a serious injury.

Keep all drawers firmly closed so your baby can’t shut his fingers in them or use them to climb on.

Put away any unstable furniture your baby could pull over.

Place television sets on low sturdy furniture as far back as possible. Tip-overs of TV´s on carts, stands and tables are very common.

Move your VCR and DVD players completely out of reach.

Tighten all loose knobs on furniture or cabinets, especially if they are small enough to swallow.

Use wall lamps or ceiling lighting whenever possible, instead of floor or table lamps that a child might be able to pull over on himself.

Don´t use a cloth on a table in a room in which your baby plays. He may pull the tablecloth down, along with everything else on the table.

Buy corner guards and edge cushions for all sharp corners and edges on tables and chests.

Be aware that recliners can trap little fingers, and also that children have managed to get their heads caught between the chair seats and leg rests.

If you have a separate liquor cabinet or built in bar, be sure to keep it locked.

Keep houseplants out of reach of children. Many are poisonous. Keep the nametags of new plants so you´ll know what kind of plant you have, if trouble ever arises.

Avoid thick rugs and shag carpeting; both can hide tiny objects such as pins, buttons and scraps of food that you don’t want in your baby´s mouth.

Put non-skid backing on scatter rugs; never place them at the top of stairs.

Install smoke detectors in sleeping areas throughout the house and on every floor. Keep fire extinguishers handy in rooms such as the kitchen, where fires are likely to occur.

Install carbon monoxide detectors.

Put up protective grills in front of fireplaces and always keep a screen in front of a burning fire.

Cover hot radiators or make them inaccessible to your child by placing furniture in front of them.

Never set your purse down where your child can get into it. It contains many potentially hazardous items.