When we think of home, we think of all the warm and fuzzy feelings we should get. After all, home is where love runs riot, memories get made, friends are welcome, laughter never ends and our children are always safe. At least, that is the kind of haven our homes should be. However, according to research done by the wonderful organization Safe Kids Worldwide, which dedicates itself to keeping little ones safe from accidental injury, over three million children get harmed in the comfort of their own homes each year.
As such, we have come up with a list of the things you can do to make your home the one place on earth your little ones are as safe as you want them:
Hot Water Hurts
We all know the hazards that a bathtub poses, which is why we are super on the ball when to comes to our bath routine. However, it isn’t just drowning that we need to protect against, it is the chance of burns. Children’s skin is so much more sensitive than ours and that means hot water can scold them without us being too aware. Luckily, there are a couple of things we can do to take action and follow the old mom’s law or, “it’s better to prevent than aid”. The first thing you should do is turn your hot water system down a bit and set it to 48 degrees Celsius (120 degrees F). This will ensure no splashes from the tap scold them by accident. The next thing you should do is get yourself a friendly little bath thermometer. Yes, testing with your elbow is effective but having a bath thermometer is bang on the money with 38 Celsius being the optimum temperature. Looking at that, we’re saving you money as well as tears.
No More Falls
Falling off things or down stairs is the leading cause of accidental injury in kids under the age of 15, and definitely among toddlers. For any parents that have kids, they will tell you that the parenting game changes when your baby becomes mobile. There is no more leaving them in the sitting room while you go and make a cup of tea; oh no, you’re on edge 24/7 once they can get about and the biggest worries are stairs and furniture. So, in order to maintain at least some peace of mind, start by getting some wall-mounted stair gates for both the top and the bottom of the stairs; each set of stairs. As for the rest of you home, let the games begin. Get padding to go on the corners and edges of your tables, and lay padding down on top of your hearths and get catches to go on your sharp knife drawers, and anything else that could be a problem should your unbalanced toddler lose their balance, which they will.
Banish Mold Fast
Mold awareness has definitely increased, there is no denying that, but it is still an issue. What mold does is produce teeny-tiny spores that seriously compromises the air quality of your home. Your children will be most vulnerable to this because their immune systems are still developing. That’s why it is so important that you deal with any mold you come across fast and have a mold removal company come in for a routine check every six months just in case. If you’re wondering about common symptoms associated with mold exposure, the top of the list is respiratory issues like short breaths, wheezing, coughing, sore throat and those types of things. Otherwise, neurological symptoms, skin irritation and eye soreness are also common. Nasty. So, yeah, just have a quick run around your house and look for any signs of mold and call a specialist in anyhow because, like we said, our homes are where are children should be most safe.
Fire Safety Is A Must
We don’t want to throw out any facts or statistics to scare you on this subject, but you should know that children – especially young children – are more at risk than adults when it comes to fires for numerous reasons. This is one of the most critical reasons why you should have smoke detectors on every single floor of your home – including the basement – in every bedroom and on every landing. Not only this, but a monthly testing session should become a ritual in your house. We seriously recommend you pick up your phone, open the calendar app and set a monthly reminder to spend fifteen minutes testing. In addition to this, multi-purpose fire extinguishers and blankets should be accessible too and know how to use them. To use a fire extinguisher just remember to just pull the pin, take aim, squeeze the trigger and cover the base of the fire and don’t stop spraying until the fire has been extinguished like the candles on a birthday cake.
Safe Way To No Bugs
No one wants to live with creepy crawlies or pests, whether it be roaches, mice, bed bugs, termites, ants, spiders, rats or whatever. It just doesn’t encourage a good night’s sleep. However, most pests don’t cause any harm to your children’s health, unlike the pesticides used to clear them out. Yeah, pesticides can really contaminate your home and have been known to cause both neurological and respiratory issues in children. To make sure your family is safe from this kind of collateral damage, we recommend you use a specialist pest control expert and really quiz them about the pesticides they use and the best practices they operate using. If you would rather not go down this route, then we recommend you pest proof your house as best as possible. Use gels and pellets and traps and bait to get rid of any pests you may be living with, and then start proofing your home. Seal off any cracks and crevices, weather strip your doors and windows, look for gaps in your tiling and make sure your kitchen isn’t working overtime as a free for all buffet that serves your unwanted guests, which means putting food in the fridge and keeping your kitchen clean.