About 2-1/2 million children are injured or killed by hazards in the home each year. The good
news is that many of these incidents can be prevented by using simple child safety devices
on the market today.
Any safety device you buy should be sturdy enough to prevent injury to your child, yet easy for
you to use. It's important to follow installation instructions carefully. In addition, if you
have older children in the house, be sure they re-secure safety devices. Remember, too, that no
device is completely childproof; determined youngsters have been known to disable them.
You can childproof your home for a fraction of what it would cost to have a professional do it.
And safety devices are easy to find. You can buy them at hardware stores, baby equipment shops,
supermarkets, drug stores, home and linen stores, and through mail order catalogues.
Here are some child safety devices that can help prevent many injuries to young children.
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Use Safety Latches and Locks for cabinets and drawers in kitchens, bathrooms, and other areas
to help prevent poisonings and other injuries. Safety latches and locks on cabinets and drawers can
help prevent children from gaining access to medicines and household cleaners, as well as knives and
other sharp objects.
Look for safety latches and locks that adults can easily install and use, but
are sturdy enough to withstand pulls and tugs from children. Safety latches are not a guarantee of
protection, but they can make it more difficult for children to reach dangerous substances. Even
products with child-resistant packaging should be locked away, out of reach; this packaging is
not childproof.
Typical cost of a safety latch or lock: less than $2.
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Use Safety Gates to help prevent falls down stairs and to keep children away from dangerous
areas. Safety gates can help keep children away from stairs or rooms that have hazards in them.
Look for safety gates that children cannot dislodge easily, but that adults can open and close without
difficulty. For the top of stairs, gates that screw to the wall are more secure than "pressure gates."
New safety gates that meet safety standards display a certification seal from the Juvenile Products
Manufacturers Association (JPMA). If you have an older safety gate, be sure it doesn't have "V" shapes
that are large enough for a child's head and neck to fit into.
Typical cost of a safety gate: $13 to $40.
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Use Door Knob Covers and Door Locks to help prevent children from entering rooms and other areas with
possible dangers. Door knob covers and door locks can help keep children away from places with hazards,
including swimming pools.
Be sure the door knob cover is sturdy enough not to break, but allows a door to be opened quickly by
an adult in case of emergency. By restricting access to potentially hazardous rooms in the home, door knob
covers could help prevent many kinds of injuries. To prevent access to swimming pools, door locks should
be placed high out of reach of young children. Locks should be used in addition to fences and door alarms.
Sliding glass doors, with locks that must be re-secured after each use, are often not an effective barrier
to pools.
Typical cost of a door knob cover: $1 and door lock: $5 and up.
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Use Anti-Scald Devices for faucets and shower heads and set your water heater temperature to 120 degrees
Fahrenheit to help prevent burns from hot water. Anti-scald devices for regulating water temperature can help
prevent burns.
Consider using anti-scald devices for faucets and showerheads. A plumber may need to install these. In
addition, if you live in your own home, set water heater temperature to 120 degrees Fahrenheit to help prevent
burns from hot water.
Typical cost of an anti-scald device: $6 to $30.
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Use Smoke Detectors on every level of your home and near bedrooms to alert you to fires. Smoke detectors are
essential safety devices for protection against fire deaths and injuries. Check smoke detectors once a month
to make sure they're working. If detectors are battery-operated, change batteries at least once a year or consider
using 10-year batteries.
Typical cost of a smoke detector: less than $10.
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Use Window Guards and Safety Netting to help prevent falls from windows, balconies, decks, and landings. Window
guards and safety netting for balconies and decks can help prevent serious falls.
Check these safety devices frequently to make sure they are secure and properly installed and maintained. There
should be no more than four inches between the bars of the window guard. If you have window guards, be sure at least
one window in each room can be easily used for escape in a fire. Window screens are not effective for preventing
children from falling out of windows.
Typical cost of a window guard or safety netting: $8 to $16.
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Use Corner and Edge Bumpers to help prevent injuries from falls against sharp edges of furniture and fireplaces.
Corner and edge bumpers can be used with furniture and fireplace hearths to help prevent injuries from falls or to
soften falls against sharp or rough edges. Be sure to look for bumpers that stay securely on furniture or hearth
edges.
Typical cost of a corner and edge bumper: $1 and up.
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Use Outlet Covers and Outlet Plates to help prevent electrocution. Outlet covers and outlet plates can help protect
children from electrical shock and possible electrocution. Be sure the outlet protectors cannot be easily removed by
children and are large enough so that children cannot choke on them.
Typical cost of an outlet cover: less than $2.
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Use a Carbon Monoxide (CO) Detector outside bedrooms to help prevent CO poisoning. A carbon monoxide (CO) detector
can help prevent CO poisoning. Consumers should install CO detectors near sleeping areas in their homes. Households
that should use CO detectors include those with gas or oil heat or with attached garages.
Typical cost of a carbon monoxide (CO) detector: $30 to $70.
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Cut Window Blind Cords; use Safety Tassels and Inner Cord Stops to help prevent children from strangling in blind
cord loops. Window blind cord safety tassels on miniblinds and tension devices on vertical blinds and drapery cords
can help prevent deaths and injuries from strangulation in the loops of cords. Inner cord stops can help prevent
strangulation in the inner cords of window blinds. For older miniblinds, cut the cord loop, remove the buckle, and
put safety tassels on each cord. Be sure that older vertical blinds and drapery cords have tension or tie-down devices
to hold the cords tight. When buying new mini-blinds, verticals, and draperies, ask for safety features to prevent
child strangulation.
Typical cost $0
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Use Door Stops and Door Holders to help prevent injuries to fingers and hands. Door stops and door holders on doors
and door hinges can help prevent small fingers and hands from being pinched or crushed in doors and door hinges. Be
sure any safety device for doors is easy to use and is not likely to break into small parts, which could be a choking
hazard for young children.
Typical cost of a door stop and door holder: less than $4.
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Use a Cordless Phone to make it easier to continuously watch young children, especially when they're in bathtubs,
swimming pools, or other potentially dangerous areas.
Cordless phones help you watch your child continuously, without leaving the vicinity to answer a phone call. Cordless
phones are especially helpful when children are in or near water, whether it's the bathtub, the swimming pool, or the
beach.
Typical cost of a cordless phone: $30 and up.
