Making Your Home Safe For Kids And Pets
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| We all want our homes to be a safe place for children and pets. Here’s my list of the top things you can do to avoid accidents or harm: 1. Install safety gates. These gates are easy to install (and later remove). They keep little kids from falling down the stairs or entering rooms where they could eat something harmful: laundry detergent or cat litter, for example. And they keep pets out of areas where you have food items or things that could tip over. 2. Secure unstable furniture. This is a BIG one, particularly for the safety of children. Bracket shelves and bureaus into a stud in the wall, so little ones can’t pull the furniture down on top of them. Secure your big-screen TV, too. This one step could avoid terrible consequences. 3. Add child-proof cupboard locks. Do so especially in your kitchen or laundry, where you have supplies that can be poisonous or sharp or easily broken. Even edible items, like ground cinnamon, have asphyxiated children. So have button batteries. When your children are old enough to know better, you can remove the locks. 4. Put harmful substances on high shelves. This suggestion goes for both pets and children. Don’t give them access to adult medications or cleaning solutions that they might eat. Pets might also eat the packaging, which can cause obstructions that require surgery. 5. Inventory your plants. You’ve probably heard that poinsettias are poisonous. Same with oleander. But so are dieffenbachia, lilies and daffodils. Animals can get sick drinking the water from the plant tray, too. 6. Keep trash cans inside cupboards. Both children and pets love to pick through trash. Animals are looking for food. Children love colors, shapes and textures. And young children experience most things by putting them in their mouths! 7. Keep cords for curtains and blinds out of reach. Animals like to chew on them and children, unfortunately, have been known to get the cords wrapped around their necks. 8. Check smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors. Make sure they are in working order with fresh batteries. If baby or Rover somehow tip over a candle or toaster, you want to know about it right away! No list can be complete, or guarantee safety. When it comes to kids and pets, the most unpredictable things can happen. But these tips will go a long way in easing your worry of potential harm to your children or pets. Fast Facts The number one cause of unintentional death in children is suffocation. This can be brought on by stuffed animals or blankets, but also by choking on food or foreign objects. Poisoning is one of the top five causes of death in pets. |
JANICE HOVORKA RE/MAX 303-324-4705 janice@janicehovorka.com http://www.janicehovorka.com |